by emma schoors
photo by nikoli partiyeli
“Nobody Gets Me (Like You)” is one of Wallows’ most unpredictable musical and visual endeavors yet.
Braeden Lemasters carries the vocals of this track as the main character in the band’s coordinating music video. The video, a continuation of “OK,” the band’s last single, is a creative play on romance and parties. It includes countless quotable moments, which fans are sure to make inside jokes out of. It’s a hodge podge of color and sound, and it works perfectly against the backdrop of the new track. The band has entered a new phase in their career, complete with a new sound and a much larger fan base, and they’ve entered that phase with ease.
One look at the band’s latest Spotify playlist, fittingly entitled “quarantunes,” lends you a clue about their influences: Tame Impala, ABBA, and Vampire Weekend, just to name a few. But there’s something distinctive about Wallows that transcends the sum of their parts.
Maybe it’s their rightful bravery and willingness to experiment with different sounds, or their heartfelt dedication to their fans. Maybe it’s their willingness to speak out against injustice and fight for just causes. There’s no way to truly pinpoint one thing that makes the band incredible, because it’s a mixture of hundreds of things.
That’s the unfiltered beauty of Wallows: you can’t pin them down to one genre, or one lyrical matter, or one targeted audience. They’re available to anyone willing to listen, and over the past couple of years, countless fans have taken up that opportunity.
I remember driving past Amoeba Music in Hollywood the week that Wallows was set to debut their first EP Spring, and the pure magic in the air that came with knowing that somehow, someway, the band was going to make it big. Seeing their name on the record store’s signature marquee was electrifying, and that excitement has only grown since then.
If you haven’t yet, consider taking a gander at “Nobody Gets Me (Like You).” Worst case scenario, you’re not into it. Best case scenario, you find a new band to love.