Wallows Expertly Sum Up How It Feels To Navigate Young Adulthood On Their Sophomore Album ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’
Samantha Colleran, April 2022
Wallows quickly became one of my favorite bands in 2020, and everything they put out never fails to blow my mind. I’ve been waiting not so patiently since the group announced the release date of their album Tell Me That It’s Over, and it’s finally here for everyone to listen to! TMTIO is general about relationships; entering and exiting long term relationships, how intense those feelings are, and what it means to be 20-something and making decisions you feel will impact the course of your future.
Prior to the full album drop, Wallows released three singles to get fans excited about the new music coming their way. Lead single “I Don’t Want To Talk” is upbeat and fun musically, which ultimately masks the darker lyrics about feeling insecure in a relationship where you’ve been away from your significant other for too long and begin to feel as though their attention lies elsewhere. “Especially You” follows a similar feeling of relationship insecurity, “Some things leave me confused/ But especially you”. Described by lead singer Dylan Minnette as a more dancey, experimental sound for Wallows, this song shows how the band has matured as people and as musicians since the release of their 2019 album Nothing Happens. “At The End Of The Day”, the final single prior to the album’s official release, is perhaps the most well rounded single. It has the perfect backing drums from Cole Preston that kick in during the second verse and drive the song along, while Braeden Lemasters packs an emotional punch as he sings about a failing relationship where all he wants is for his partner to be happy.
With three incredible lead singles, it was assumed that the remaining seven tracks would be just as incredible. Album opener “Hard To Believe” sets us up for our musical listening journey in a beautiful way. Straying away from the Wallows sound we’re so used to hearing, the band instead opted to begin the song with just vocals and strings. Lyrically we’re introduced to the themes that are prevalent throughout the album; “bright parking lots” will make a subtle return later on in the track that is most reminiscent of the sounds of Nothing Happens “Marvelous”, while the lines “I guess that’s the price you pay/ For giving your trust away” tie into the more optimistic sounding “Permanent Price” (“I think you’re what’s costing me/ The permanent price, the look in your eyes”) and the heartache present on “That’s What I Get” (“I’d never give up on you, but you gave up on me/ And that’s what I get for falling in love”).
“Missing Out” takes on a slightly more gritty sound. Inspired by Sugar Ray’s “When It’s Over”, the song talks about the conflicts in relationships and feeling unsure about how to approach the issues at hand. On synth drive “Hurts Me”, Braeden sings openly and honestly about a breakup; we see the inner battle of wanting to reach out to your ex while trying to prioritize your own feelings (“I don’t need it ‘cause it hurts me”). Closing track “Guitar Romance Search Adventure” completes our story and ties together all the loose ends. The title comes from the Exploding Hearts’ 2003 album Guitar Romantic, and one of the songs “I’m A Pretender” is referenced in the second verse (“Listening to “I’m a Pretender” on repeat/ Wonder if you knew that it’d all seem to take the words right off my tongue”). Although there are moments of doubt and insecurity highlighted through the album, these negative thoughts are squashed as the final line of the song rings through the air, “So now I hope that you don’t tell me that it’s over”.
One of the interesting things about Wallows, as I mentioned before, is how they tie all of their tracks together. Nothing Happens is a constant loop, the songs fit together like a puzzle instrumentally and you can listen to it on repeat for hours. On Tell Me That It’s Over, the common themes that present themselves throughout the ten tracks are what makes this album feel like a well rounded body of work. The repetition of the line “Tell me that it’s over” in a number of the songs further drives home the storytelling aspect and ties together the underlying themes. Although it’s told in a non linear fashion, we can piece together a story, one that’s very relatable as a young adult who’s on the cusp of turning 21 and going through major life changes. It’s a stellar album, one that will definitely make it to my top albums of 2022 and will certainly take over my most streamed tracks of the year!
Sam’s Song Selection
This has changed slightly since my first listen, but after sitting with this album for a week and having plenty of time to think of my top three…
1. “Guitar Romance Search Adventure”: This title was the most interesting to me when I read the tracklist, and it stood out to me the most when I first listened. The lyrics pack a powerful punch, and are oddly romantic. Speaking to Travis Mills, Dylan said that the line “Making plans for both of us to go on a/ Guitar Romantic Search Adventure, will we ever get to go?” is an inside joke with his girlfriend, Lydia Night. Guitar Romantic was the first album Lydia shared with Dylan when they began dating, and it’s a rare find on vinyl. Dylan uses the title of the album to express his desire to go on a hunt for the album with Lydia, and it’s a really sweet sentiment that wraps up the album perfectly.
2. “Hurts Me”: Emotional lyrics over upbeat instrumentals are always interesting in their juxtaposition, and this song fits this category perfectly. The lyrics discuss the aftermath of a breakup and trying to do what’s best for you, while the accompanying music sounds as if it was plucked right from the late 70s/early 80s. The back and forth between Dylan and Braeden in the chorus immediately hooked me, and I knew this would make my top three after the first listen.
3. “Hard To Believe”: Album openers are a weakness of mine. They mark the beginning of your listening journey, and really great album openers get you even more excited to fully dive into the album you’re listening to. This track is so different from anything Wallows have ever done before, and the lyrics give listeners a general idea of the themes they’ll come across as they continue listening through the album.
If you’re a fan of Wallows, stick around and keep an eye out for my review of their first show at Terminal 5 in June! I’m super excited to get to hear these songs performed live and see how the band breathe new life into these already stellar tracks! Let me know your favorite song off of Tell Me That It’s Over in the comments and if you haven’t listened yet, be sure to come back when you have and let me know your favorite songs!
Listening now as I type this. I have your review open as I listen so that I can compare notes. Love the synthy (is that a word?) background to the songs and it does remind me of music I loved in the eighties. I feel like they should be the soundtrack to modern day angsty 80’s romance in the best way. I feel like someone needs to write a new Noah Centineo netflix movie just because the songs need to be in the background.