Wallows delivers the blueprints for your indie rock summer with their third album “Model”
Words by Julia Norton
Photo Credit: Aidan Zimiri
The first Wallows song I remember listening to is “Pictures of Girls” back in my junior year of high school. My friend sent me the song in February 2019 because it sounded like something I would enjoy, and I was instantly hooked. Wallows became a formative band in the development of my music taste, as my interests expanded beyond mainstream pop into the world of indie, specifically in the rock, pop and folk subgenres. Now, five years later, I am still listening to Wallows on repeat, this time with the addition of three full length albums and another EP on rotation. Band members Braeden Lemasters, Dylan Minnette, and Cole Preston are here to show the world how far they have come as a musical trio with some of their most exciting work yet: their latest record, Model. With five singles dropped before the album release date, global listening parties, intimate performances and album signings, and their biggest tour to date, Wallows is a band that knows how to build the hype and show up for their dedicated fans, while also inviting new listeners to tune in.
I attended one of the several Model listening parties held across the world on May 21st at Factory Records in Dover, New Jersey (an expansive record shop with an incredible selection of music). While attendance was moderate, I had a pleasant time in the shop’s lounge, a room specifically dedicated to listening parties and small scale performances. It was the perfect way to experience the album in full for the first time, sitting in a room scattered with other Wallows fans, speakers blasting, and even getting a few exclusive posters out of the event. As soon as the album ended with “Only Ecstasy”, my immediate reaction was wow…Friday cannot come soon enough.
Model is an album that washes down like cold lemonade on the hottest day of the year, a cool rush that hits as soon as the drums come in on “Your Apartment” and leaves you with bittersweet lyricism as it sinks in. Wallows has always dropped their albums during the spring season, a time of year that perfectly matches their sonic energy that strikes with the warm weather, then bleeds into the summer. The lyricism holds the perspective of relationship insecurity, standing by your feelings, the desire for connection after heartbreak, and realizing when you need to live in the moment. Model finds a different sound than Wallows’ sophomore album Tell Me That It’s Over which carried a chill, indie pop tracklist, as their new record is more reminiscent of their earlier work while introducing fun new elements. “Bad Dream” is one of my favorite songs on the album, and heavily reminds me of their Spring EP. The dreamy beat and anxiety ridden lyrics cultivate a quiet standout amongst the more intense tracks on Model: “Are you having a bad dream baby? / A reflection of your thoughts lately / Are you having a bad dream, baby? / I wanna wake you and you won’t let me (Here we go again)”. This single reflects the narrator’s insecurity that grows when their partner has difficulty communicating their feelings, and how the silence leaves room for the narrator to form their own reasonings for why they are being shut out.
The record is packed with some of Wallows’ catchiest songs yet, leaving you with a craving to listen to the album over and over again. “You (Show Me Where My Days Went)” has been stuck in my head since the first listen with its addicting chorus and heart on your sleeve message: “It’s you / I’m just saying it’s you / You / You’re what I’ve been chasing / Show me where my days went”. In classic Wallows fashion, the boys stir up some euphoric guitar riffs, with one of the most notable instrumentals being in the track “Canada”. After eleven tracks of an adrenaline rush and loudly expressed feelings, Wallows ends the album in a beautiful way with “Only Ecstasy”. Wallows fans know that the band loves going out with a bang, with previous albums ending with “Do Not Wait” and “Guitar Romantic Search Adventure”, two songs that words cannot even begin to describe the feeling of. “Only Ecstasy” lives up to this feeling, as the lyrics express unconditional love that one has for their partner and how they already see a future together: “Don’t apologize for crying, I will always hold you space /Beyond your fallen tears, I can see generations in your face”.
I am attending my second Wallows concert later this year at Madison Square Garden with some of my fellow contributors at Best Left Mag, and to say that I’m thrilled to hear their new music live is an understatement. The boys’ meticulous work creating Model shows how deeply they care about their music, especially with the reveal that they wrote twenty five songs, and narrowed the tracklist down to a cohesive twelve. Does this mean it is possible to get some unreleased songs in the future? It’s clear that Wallows is just getting started, so I guess we’ll stick around and find out. If you’re like me and Wallows is your favorite band and/or you are looking for the indie rock album of the summer, Wallows has your back and Model is now available for streaming on all music platforms.
