Watch The Well's 'Love Cult (Xmas)' Video

08-24-2026

(ET) Austin Psych-Rockers The Well share a new video today for 'Love Cult (Xmas).' The band recently announced their fourth full-length studio album "...And Flames Ran Like Living Animals," out September 14 on Spaceflight Records.

The video for 'Love Cult (Xmas)' perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the track. Dark, reverent, maniacal, ritualistic, and festive. Bassist and vocalist Lisa Alley says "Ian saw a headline about a cult in Colorado during the pandemic when the news first broke. The story was compelling and inspired 'Love Cult (Xmas).' It was one of those magical moments where the song came together in one sitting, pretty much fully formed." She adds "HBO released a documentary about it: Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God in 2023. We introduced the song to our live set in 2021. It's been a crowd favorite from the onset and we are very excited have the recording finally available on "...And Flames Ran Like Living Animals."

The video was shot in Ian's (likely haunted) woodshed and in the middle of the rural Texas countryside in the heat of summer, adding to the feverish atmosphere. Directed, filmed and edited by TV's Daniel (Radioactivity, Bad Sports, Mugger) using in camera and practical effects, it pays homage to the MTV videos of the late eighties and early nineties. Grimy, eerie, raw. Secret guest appearance by Luis Herrera (Cast of Thousands, TV's Daniel, Rough Kids) as the figure wrapped in Christmas lights, writhing in sacramental cloth and moths.

"...And Flames Ran Like Living Animals" is the follow up to 2019's Death & Consolation. Of the new album, vocalist and guitarist Ian Graham says "I think it's our most diverse album because it's packed with the intense emotional peaks and valleys that have defined the last 6 or 7 years. It's been a wild ride, so of course this album reflects it."

The first four songs were recorded with Bryan Richie (The Sword, Spaceflight Records) at Paper Weapons Studio in Taylor, TX and the band continued to write and craft and play live (supporting 1000mods, Truckfighters, and headlining tours.) Lisa Alley talks about the process "We decided, or embraced the opportunity to be able, to not rush it. To treat these first new songs with care. We emerged more contemplative, maybe... deliberate. Recalling the spirit with which we approached our first album, we spent time with the mood of each song, the dynamics, the storytelling, but we also came at them with the intent that they be played live." She continues "We were building a live set, more precious after the time away from that possibility."

The rest of the album was written and recorded in the storm of 2025 with longtime collaborator Chico Jones producing, mixing and doing additional tracking to the Taylor sessions, and Max Lorenzen of Rare Earth mastering the set. These songs feel very now; though not directly speaking to any one current issue fighting for attention in the long list of today's headlines, they are of it, and snatch you up in recognition.

The end result, "...And Flames Ran Like Living Animals," is a push and pull, a swing of an ax and a sigh of relief, a call to arms and a suggestion of inner battles to conquer first. A balm, but also a mirror. A reminder that we're going through this moment together.