By Grace Koennecke, Managing Editor

Wallows is a band I’ve been following for quite some time, particularly since the release of their 2018 EP, Spring. Their songs about growing older, falling in love and the feelings of loneliness and nostalgia identified with me at the time as I was going through the motions of high school. Now, I look to them still for the same themes and as a reminder of those days.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of high school, I think this band is really great at executing an album that sounds like it should be in a coming-of-age movie. Yes, I know that sounds cheesy, but think along the aesthetic of movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or The Spectacular Now. In honor of that sentiment, this week’s love letter centers around my favorite album by Wallows, 2019’s Nothing Happens.

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When I think of albums that defined my teenage years, this is definitely one of them because it is so heartbreakingly good. It’s an album about trying to understand who you are in your adolescence and the future that lies ahead, but with all the confusion, stress and anxiety that comes with finding your true self. It’s also about relationships, whether it be with friends or partners and how these change overtime as you realize what you want in life.

The album starts off with “Only Friend,” which talks about the loss of innocence as you move into adolescence. Frontman Dylan Minette’s weary tone is chilling in this song and you can sense the anxiety he feels about feeling lonely in the midst of change: “Weathered and faded / Who feels alone in the world? / You do / Too complicated / It’s not the same anymore / You’re through.” This is one of my favorite moments on the album as a whole because the lyrics are ones I return to at times when I feel lonely myself or feel left behind in some of the relationships I’ve experienced. It’s an extremely honest take on losing the naivety we all have in childhood, causing us to be more aware of people’s behaviors and actions, as well as our own.

“Treacherous Doctor” tackles similar themes, but is key to note because it sees the all-male band address their own battles with anxiety and depression. Sung by guitarist and vocalist Braeden Lemasters, he uses this song to voice the concerns he has regarding his mental health, emphasizing his weariness towards getting help. He sings – “Could I trust you with my thoughts? / Or would you use them all against me? / Can you replace my eyes for yours? / See what I really look like / I could help you criticise” – these opening lines emphasize how hard it can be for men conditioned to hide their feelings and emotions to open up and be honest.

This song is also really fast-paced and has that classic indie-rock feel of squealing guitars and Lemasters’ vocal delivery, possibly using these elements to resemble the ways in which anxiety makes one physically feel. I also love lines like, “Looking for a sense of relation / Where do people want me to be? / I can’t help but cry on vacation / Dressed to un-impress easily” and “Is a relationship bought or is it won?”

Wallows discusses relationships heavily on “Sidelines,” a song about witnessing an ex-lover move on quickly and seemingly without remorse. Lemasters’ tone in this song is drastically different from “Treacherous Doctor,” as he sounds confused on how this person could just forget him so easily. He says – “I see you loving on the sidelines / I think about it at the wrong times / I see you loving on the sidelines / (I don’t wanna know) / Who you’ll be taking with you tonight” – and the slow drum pattern and Lemasters’ saddened vocals brings me to tears every time. The most heartbreaking line by far though has to be, “You’ve turned into / Someone that I never knew,” and that to me is the epitome of this song. 

Arguably, the most popular song from this album is “Are You Bored Yet? (feat. Clairo),” which helped launch Wallows into the mainstream shortly after the album’s release. It’s crazy now to see how popular Wallows and Clairo are now respectively, and I argue they need to get back in the studio together and make another banger like this one. This song mostly discusses feeling bored in a romantic relationship, knowing that young love comes and goes quickly, a common occurrence that defines the adolescent experience for some.

One of the only moments of confidence on this album is with “Scrawny,” a song about embracing your quirkiness and what makes you different. Centered around anti-conformity, I personally like this song because it always makes me feel like my flaws are what make me me and that’s part of being human. It’s also just a playful moment on the album and lyrics like, “Scrawny motherf*cker with a cool hairstyle” and “You don’t like my clothes but you still like my smile,” make it a humorous and relatable take on insecurity.

My all-time favorite Wallows song on Nothing Happens is “Worlds Apart.” This is one of the slower songs on the record, and its psychedelic production always makes me feel like I’m floating. Despite its light and airy production, this song is extremely sad, as the band talks about feeling distant from an ex-lover. Feeling anxious and lonely, Lemasters admits to having this person on his mind, singing, “I stayed inside to watch the rain again / I watched all of my movies from the end to the start / And I can’t help but think about you now when the trailer starts / ‘Cause I know we’re worlds apart.”

I honestly just love the lyrics in this song and think it’s some of Wallows’ strongest writing to date, and part of me wishes their newer material contained the depth that this song does. Oh well, a girl can dream! Anyways, I could write a whole column about “Worlds Apart” if I wanted to because I think it really is one of the most impactful songs that fit into the overall concept of the album, and it definitely makes you stop and think about the people you’ve distanced in your life.

Moving on, another song on this album that’s noteworthy is “Remember When.” This is one of the most heartfelt songs about friendship and nostalgia on this album because the band reflects on their history together and all the memories they’ve made. I think this song is perfect for any occasion because it’s more alt-pop in sound and makes you want to bounce around as lyrics like, “I can still see you at the place I know when I close my eyes / Do you remember when we felt like the only two alive?,” scream at you. 

Lastly, “Do Not Wait” serves as the final song on Nothing Happens and is a callback to “Only Friend.” Fun fact, if you let this song play into “Only Friend,” the two songs actually share the exact same production, except it has been slowed down and warped. However, this song focuses on the title of the album, with Minette telling listeners that the things you may be overly emotional about now will not matter later in life, as many occurrences in adulthood are really not as serious or devastating once they pass. This sentiment is clear in lines like, “And it gets worse before it gets better / That’s one thing that I have come to know / Just so you know,” and “All the things you don’t wanna let go / You wanna look back on and recall / All the times that feel like everything / When nothing really happens at all.”

I think it’s an interesting thought to end on from Wallows, as this album really focuses on being caught up in your emotions at times and feeling overwhelmed by the stressful and confusing moments in adolescence. I know I can definitely relate to this right now, and have definitely related to this sentiment in the past, and I love how this album’s concept therefore stays timeless because of how universal its themes are to young listeners.

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