“I guess I’ve started a cult / I swear it’s the good kind,” experimental rock artist Adam Tilzer declares on “I’m Gonna Start a Cult,” an exaltation that became the inspiration for Cult Leader–the longtime producer’s debut solo album. The tongue-in-cheek title is an homage to the talented musicians Tilzer is surrounded by, and the enviable community they have created. A prolific engineer and producer who has produced more than 300 songs in his two-decade career, Tilzer has released projects as a singer and guitarist with New York-based bands Avon Junkies and The Defectives, the former of which toured up and down the East Coast and opened for Less Than Jake, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, and Big D and the Kids’ Table, among others. Cult Leader marks the first project built solely on what is necessary for Tilzer to say in this moment, with a release that coincides with his 40th birthday. “I didn’t set out to write a message-driven album,” Tilzer says. “It’s what I was thinking about and what was bothering me. I think a lot of people can relate to what I’m saying in some of these songs but might think it’s too extreme for them to say out loud themselves.” “I’m not going to sugar-coat or water things down,” he continues. Though he didn’t come from a particularly artistic family, Tilzer began playing guitar in elementary school. What his parents may have lacked in natural musical ability, they made up for with dedication to their son's passion. Tilzer tells a particularly charming story about his dad attending a show he played with his band Avon Junkies, where the elder Tilzer stood smack dab in the middle of a mosh pit–later questioning why other audience members kept running into him. That same steadfast passion runs through Cult Leader, combining influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix to Less Than Jake, The Slackers, and Leonard Cohen, for a finished product full of heart. “It can be angry and aggressive,” he says. “I’m calling out injustices and questioning everything.” Tilzer classifies his current sound as diverse experimental rock with shades of punk. On Cult Leader, he uses a unique lens to examine what ails modern-day society and wrestles with how to exist within it. For Tilzer, that means finding slivers of light in community and connection, even when the bonding agent is a shared angst. The album begins with an existential inspection of a common fear. Written in the middle of the night, “Choking on Vomit” is a four-line fever dream poem that grapples with the idea of an anonymous death. Elsewhere in societal woes, “My Man” is an impassioned inventory of issues attributed to “the man,” while “The Best Fucking Plan” laments healthcare in the US. “I’ve been lucky enough to produce and work with a crew of people who constantly support and lift each other up, and because of this, people have nicknamed us ‘the cult,’” Tilzer says of the story behind “I’m Gonna Start a Cult.” “Lyrically, I saw it as an opportunity to air my grievances with the world while simultaneously boasting about what a good crew of people we have and encouraging others to join us.” Throughout the album, Tilzer spotlights the talented crew of musicians he works with regularly, accumulating more than two dozen artists who contributed to the project. “Everyone I asked to be on the album is someone I picked specifically because I wanted their voice on it,” he says. “But I didn’t tell anyone what they should do with their parts. I knew they would understand the assignment and lay down what was best. It was a surprise every time.” “Can’t Be Wrong” began as a collaboration with drummer Danny Bradley and later evolved to its finished form thanks to co-writer Jordan Popky. The song imagines a life without an ex, expertly capturing the push and pull of contemplating a past relationship. “Gram” finds Tilzer dueting with longtime friend and pop-noir vocalist Giselle. “We’ve been friends and collaborators for over a decade, so it was a no-brainer that I would have a duet with her on my album,” Tilzer says. “There’s also a few lyrical Easter eggs in there that some of you may catch if you’re a big enough Giselle fan.” “Burn It Down,” a love song about a crush, offers the most wholesome outlook on the album. “If you shove too much heaviness into a project, it’s exhausting,” he says about Cult Leader’s brighter fare. “I love social messages, but I need a reprieve —it’s a nice song to enjoy thematically, a break from overthinking reality.” “Love You Til You Cry” breaks down relationships to their simplest form, as Tilzer says: “Men often mess up when it comes to romantic relationships with women. The only time you should be making her cry is in moments of joy and pleasure.” “Les Lius” is the most experimental entry on Cult Leader. What started as a drunken jam in 2020 became an instrumental showcase of Tilzer and friends leaning into curiosity and creativity. “And I’ll Die,” the album’s closer, is a song that resurfaced from 2013. Initially meant for Tilzer’s band, Avon Junkies, he wrote it with Danny Bradley in mind for the drums. “I felt this was perfectly fitting to close this album.” “It took me a little while to realize how free my choices could be for what I do and who I ask to be part of it,” Tilzer says of the album overall. “Cult Leader was an opportunity to bring all my friends together to help me achieve a vision.” “Also: Damn the man!”