Nothing Happens – Wallows

For a debut album, this really knocked my socks off. I have been a fan of Wallows- the boy band made up of Dylan Minnette, Cole Preston, and Braedon Lemasters – for about a year. I discovered them first when they released their first EP, titled Spring, and I instantly fell in love with the emotional ballads of the songs and how transparent they had been with their lyrics. However, they completely outdid themselves with their much anticipated premier album. The transitions between each song are euphoric and the ending of the album fades right into the start of the first song, allowing the listener to reflect on what they just listened to. There was no song on this album that I don’t love with my whole heart. I’m going to see Wallows in concert in a few months actually and I couldn’t be more excited. I think that these songs developed a new stylistic era for the band and I would imagine that their breakthrough work will be influencing artists, young and old, for many years to come. Moreover, on one of my favorite songs from the album and their leading single, Are You Bored Yet?, features another artist that I adore: Clairo. Clairo’s airy vocals add another layer of “bedroom pop” vibes to the song and tie everything together. I think that the voices of Dylan and Clairo complement each other perfectly and create a bright and unique sound. The album overall depicts both the troubles of youth as well as the reasons why being a kid is the best time of your life. The complex messages of this work call for the listener to engage themselves in deep self-reflection and analyze whether or not they are taking full advantage of the life they are living. This album encapsulates the deepest of anxieties and the happiest of feelings all at once and is quite literally an emotional toll of organized sound. I love this album so much and I hope that if you get the chance to listen to it, that you love it too.