Come Back Down, the new album by Nashville experimental pop duo Total Wife, was born at the edge of sleep. Composer and producer Luna Kupper drew inspiration from her drowsy states during late-night mixing sessions to approach her compositions from a new angle. The album takes a circular, self-referential approach: with Luna having sold her synthesizers to pay her rent, every inorganic sound comes from samples of their own work, including an unreleased Elliott Smith cover. For her part, singer and lyricist Ash Richter delivers direct lyrics, inspired by the isolation of the pandemic to explore human connection and loneliness. She draws on childhood memories spent in nature and on the aesthetics of magical realism. Friends since high school, they founded Total Wife in 2016 before moving from Boston to Nashville in 2020. Also visual artists, they handle their entire creative output completely independently, from directing music videos to releasing cassettes through their label Ivy Eat Home, while also organizing shows in their basement. In Nashville, the addition of three new musicians (Ryan Bigelow, Sean Booz and Billy Campbell) to form a live band has brought a spontaneous energy that enriches this album, both intimate and ambitious.