Following the release of their debut album Curiosity in 2013, Wampire went from a duo most accustomed to playing house parties around their hometown of Portland to a five-piece band performing in venues all over the world with groups such as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen, and Smith Westerns.
That 12-month span saw Wampire play more shows in more cities, countries, and continents than in all their previous years together combined—a nearly non-stop barrage of new and memorable experiences that, above all else, forced the band members to become more fully immersed in music than at any other time in their lives.
As a result, when founding members and primary songwriters Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps returned home at the tail end of the year, they immediately dove into the process of working on a new album in order to capitalize on the creative energy that had been steadily amassing during their days, weeks, and months on the road.
As with their previous full-length Curiosity, Wampire recorded Bazaar with trusted producer Jacob Portrait (of Unknown Mortal Orchestra), though this time around the sessions took place at The Museum, a studio in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood, and were done directly to tape.
Far from home once again, Tinder and Phipps used the city to their advantage—writing lyrics on the 40-minute bus ride to and from their temporary residence in Bed-Stuy and rushing to a shop down the street to buy a guitar—one that looked and felt like it had been buried in dust for decades and had just the right analog sound—as their allotted studio time was winding down.