On March 28, Wallows released their third Extended Play (EP) titled “More.” The EP is composed of eight songs, the band’s second longest EP.
Wallows made their debut back in 2017 with their hit single “Pleaser,” which quickly went No. 2 on the Spotify Global Viral 50 chart. However, the indie-rock band has been playing together for far longer.
Braeden Lemasters and Dylan Minnette, the two lead singers and guitarists, met when they were 9 through acting and an online group their mothers joined. They bonded over music and began writing songs in hopes of starting a band. The pair later met drummer Cole Preston when they were 11, through the program Join The Band. They have played together ever since but under many different names.
They were originally called The Feaver, which also included bassist Zack Mendenhall. They then changed their name to The Narwhals in 2014 and in 2017, before becoming the 3-piece Wallows they are known as today.
The three-member band has released a total of three albums and have just now evened out the score with their third EP.
“More” had been highly anticipated, as it was initially expected to be part of the deluxe version of their third album, “Model.”
“Model,” released on May 24 last year, was accompanied by multiple variants of a vinyl record of the album, select versions including three bonus tracks. These tracks, “Not Alone,” “Deep Dive” and “Your New Favorite Songs,” all find their place on “More.”
Additionally, Wallows teased the EP with the announcement of the “Model & More Tour,” which began in February and will continue throughout the summer. Most fans assumed this meant the release of a “Model” deluxe, but the band announced their EP on February 6, after the release of “Your New Favorite Song” on January 10.
“It’s been in front of our faces the whole time ??” Minnette commented on their Instagram post, a playful jab at fans shocked by the post.
The EP announcement was also accompanied by the information of a physical media release. Unlike the rest of their projects, “More” only had CDs and LPs available on Record Store Day on April 12, making the physicals a rare purchase.
Later, on February 12, “Hide It Away” made its live debut when Wallows played the then unreleased track in Cincinnati, Ohio, but to many fans’ surprise, they chose another track as the second single. “Coffin Change,” never heard before, was released days later on February 20 instead.
The EP rollout was a long one that threw many fans off the band’s trail, but the wait was ultimately worth it for the captivating 21 minutes that left the listener excited for more.
“Not Alone”
“Not Alone” opens the EP with heavy synth and a static-like sound that harkens back to their second EP, “Remote.” Lemasters’ vocals shine as he sings about feelings of regret and restlessness following a split. Every lyric works together to paint a picture of heartbreak for the listener.
In the outro of the song, Minnette repeats the line “we’re still not alone,” emphasizing that even through the end of a relationship, the people still have the company of the memories and will be okay apart.
This is reminiscent of the song “At The End Of The Day” from Wallow’s sophomore album, “Tell Me That It’s Over.” The song explores a relationship full of love in which a breakup seems inevitable. Lemasters pleads, “Please, just see/That you are not alone, you are not alone.”
Lemaster’s favorite track of the EP experiments with its sound to create a unique opening to such a distinctive project, while also remaining emotionally poignant with its lyrics.
“Deep Dive”
The second track of the EP, Preston’s favorite, “Deep Dive,” falls right in line with the committal love songs of “Model,” like “Only Ecstasy” and “She’s an Actress.”
The first verse opens with flattering comparisons of the song’s subject: “I’ve seen your silhouette/It’s been doing pirouettes.” This lyric is almost an instant callback to “She’s an Actress,” which features the lyric “She’s a model, she’s an actress, she’s a dancer.”
Both songs are written about Minnette’s girlfriend, model Isabella Elei, which explains the similar themes of letting someone in and lyrics like “If you’re ever lost you will be found.”
The instruments create a dreamy feeling, reflecting the nature of the love Minnette is expressing. The reprise, the final track of the EP, maintains that same feeling, with a more upbeat sound, fusing indie rock with influences of bedroom pop.
Interestingly, the reprise is the version that found its original home on the Dylan edition of the “Model” vinyl, though it was previously assumed it would be the standard track.
“Coffin Change”
Straying from the dreamy love song of the preceding track, “Coffin Change” opens with an instantly enticing guitar riff that leads into the kick in of the drums.
The song handles the most classic theme of their discography: dealing with time passing and things changing. Lemaster’s vocals are raw and unpolished, communicating his frustrations at the world changing as he grows up.
“If time, time will outrun me/Then why do I still run?” Lemasters sang, reflecting his struggles with the idea of the unavoidable passing of time. He is afraid his life will go by without truly living.
The track is dark and pessimistic, serving as a parallel to the second track on their debut album, “Treacherous Doctor.” The song’s lyrics “Are the things I think are important/Simply just distractions from death” are a perfect companion to “Coffin Change”’s ruminations on passing time and death.
“Hide It Away”
Following in suite, “Hide It Away” exhibits similar darkness and cogitations of growing old. The track leads in with heavy drums and a stormy atmosphere.
The song is musically and lyrically intense, and the listener feels that impact as well. Minnette sings about the fear of change as he grows up, but he ultimately bottles it up rather than face it because “feeling all this pain is good.” The gloom of the track only amplifies the denial Minnette expresses as he repeats the line “cause I’m fine.”
Although not its direct intent, the song also responds to many fans’ sentiments about missing “the old Dylan” back when he was “chalant.”
“Am I done with sounding young … Does our optimism rust?” Minnette sings as he expresses the fear of losing that part of himself and becoming jaded, which is likely magnified by words on the internet.
“Your New Favorite Song”
In contrast to the darkness of the previous two tracks, the lead single of the EP opens with a smooth saxophone solo. The band has always experimented very freely with their instrumentation, and this track is yet another example.
The soft guitar and flute features create an acoustic vibe that is reminiscent of their debut EP, “Spring,” and reminds the listener of their old sound.
The lyrics are vulnerable and touch on feelings of self-doubt when it comes to letting go of a relationship while longing to revive it. Minnette questions if this love will ever come back to him.
In the standout moment of the song, Minnette belts “Well, I, I don’t wanna know/No, I, I don’t wanna know.” His voice is touching and reflects his frustration with the possible answers to these questions. Especially when heard live, his voice is powerful and captivating as he cries out.
“Learn To Love Again”
Minnette’s favorite of the EP, “Learn To Love Again,” explores the idea of loving someone and wanting them to see how amazing they are following a breakup.
The song begins slowly with soft piano that incorporates the indie pop genre again, while the song kicks in later with more drums and synth. The combination of instruments creates a dreamy 80s style that would fit perfectly on “Tell Me That It’s Over.”
Minnette revealed on an Instagram live that the bandmates started writing this track all the way back in July 2019, which explains how the sound is reminiscent of their older music.
Lyrically, the track showcases the band’s common themes of unconditional love and longing through lyrics like “Take off that scarlеt letter/Replacе it with my sweater.” With these words, Minnette vocalises his wish for the subject to let go of their shame and regret and “Learn To Love Again,” this time with him.
“More”
Overall, “More” perfectly encapsulates Wallows’ ability to fuse genres like indie rock and pop to create music that relays individuality and intrigue.
“We’ve been really proud of these songs for a long time now,” the band said on Instagram live. “They feel like inspired, continued growth for us, and we’re excited to finally be giving them their time to shine.”
With tracks like “Coffin Change,” Wallows continues to create music that perfectly captures the dread of change and growing up, effortlessly transitioning from older tracks about going from their teens to twenties to these new songs as they near thirty.
The contrast between a gloomy track like this or “Hide It Away” and dreamy love songs such as “Learn To Love Again” and “Deep Dive,” demonstrates their versatility within their musical skill.
Their growth and consistent pursuit of creativity is apparent throughout the EP and can be expected in future releases.
Wallows always seem to have something up their sleeve, which Lemasters confirmed on Instagram live, revealing there were eight additional tracks that did not make the final cut for “Model” or “More.” They also teased a snippet of one of those songs, indicating there may be even ‘more’ soon.
akThough not new music, more is set to come in May, as Wallows continues their “Model & More Tour,” which are the first shows of the tour with the EP released. Dates and tickets can be found here.
