Wallows' Quarantine EP 'Remote’ will bring joy to your bedroom

After releasing a debut album in 2019, LA based trio Wallows (Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston) is back with a new EP Remote, which was made under the pandemic.   

The EP recurs from indie / psychedelic rock to bedroom synth-pop, which determines the musical direction of Wallows. 

Another point that draws my attention while listening was the transition between each song. It seems like Wallows encourage every listener to listen to this six-track EP in a correct order and in full; this is a unique Remote experience and shuffle plays would result in the loss of fun like this.  

  

The opener Virtual Aerobics is old school, it has very retro video game vibes, which also continue in the following tracks.   Dig What You Dug, with reference to Dig Dug (1980/90s arcade game) at the end, the track also resonates with the EP cover. It is also something you wouldn’t expect to hear in Wallows’ music, but they’ve made a change, and surprisingly, it is fun for listening. 

  

"So many people and people, and people, and people, and people  

And nobody gets me like you"

  

Nobody Gets Me (Like You) is probably most people’s favourite track on this EP - telling a cheesy cliché of “only you can understand me” by sustaining the uptempo, the crunchy sound of instrumentation keeps standing out of the song, which I think it will be a more popular sing-along song when Wallows can tour again. 

  

"I don't wanna think about it  

If I'm really wastin' all of your time  

I don't wanna think about it  

When we're on different coastlines"

  

Coastlines then changes the mood into heavier drum hits, repeated lines of “I don’t wanna think about it” by the vocalist Dylan Minnette, in his lower tones, a story about a desperate experience of a long-distance relationship is described.  

  

Talk Like That then reminds the listener of what typical Wallows sounds like: rapid upbeats, although it is a little bit hard to hear the lyrics that Dylan is singing with the multiple layers of the instrument, the song will rock at Wallows live.  

  

Although some people, like me, firstly heard about Wallows only because of Dylan Minnette, or his starring in 13 Reasons Why, but he and his band’s music-making is surprising us and give us an idea of how they will be emerging in the music industry.   

The final track Wish Me Luck then chills down, a relatable feeling of opening up to someone new in life.  

  

The band, with their rising of being touring with Vampire Weekend, collaboration with Clairo on a single Are You Bored Yet?, but they are not feeling enough yet, they are finding new energy for their music. So here is Remote, an EP that shows Wallows’ potential in music, even being isolated due to the pandemic. 

  

Eva Leung

@watermelonlaidbackgal

Image: Credit: Nikoli Partiyeli www.nme.com