Tell Me That It's Over

by Wallows

Overview

After reaching the top half of the Billboard 200 with their John Congleton-co-produced debut album, Nothing Happens, in 2019, Wallows headed to the studio with another Grammy-winning producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, fresh off his Best Alternative Music Album win for Vampire Weekend's Father of the Bride. The resulting album, Tell Me That It's Over, throws a sunlamp and a spring into the step of the band's already infectious blend of yearning indie pop, melancholy post-punk, affectionate '80s pop, and Strokes-ian dance-rock. The trio -- guitarists Dylan Minnette and Braeden Lemasters and drummer Cole Preston -- all take turns on lead vocals this time around. Main singer Minnette kicks things off with midtempo opener "Hard to Believe," a "we need to talk" song. Its spare, sun-streaked synthesizer pop transforms into churning grunge-pop as lyrics grapple with a stalled relationship ("What age would you call your prime?/We've been at this for a long time"). Roaring feedback, rock drums, and strings join the narrative as the singer fesses up to wandering affections. It ends in a swirl of amplified dissonance and melodic keys. That leads into the charging banger "I Don't Want to Talk," a rousing breakup request and the source of the line "Tell me that it's over," which gets repeated in the chorus ("Then I could shut this off"). That song closes with a feedback-free surge of churning guitars, pounding drums, harmonica, and a whistler-friendly keyboard hook. They switch lead singers for songs including "At the End of the Day," a merger of '80s-style power ballad and tuneful indie rocker, and the very-'80s "Hurts Me," which borrows the era's synth bass-slap bass sound. Elsewhere, the voluble two-minute "Marvelous" introduces brass that reappears in unexpected places, including fuzzy pop/rocker "Missing Out," which also offers bells, a sultry saxophone solo, and more. An invigorating set without a significant weak spot, it ends satisfyingly with Minnette leading the cinematic daydream "Guitar Romantic Search Adventure." An album that's trying to move forward and ultimately relieved things are ending, Tell Me That It's Over may not find Wallows any luckier at love, but they're a little older, a little wiser, just as catchy, and more sonically adventurous. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	03/25/2022
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0075678639364
Rank:	3215

Tracks

1. Hard to Believe
2. I Don't Want to Talk
3. Especially You
4. At the End of the Day
5. Marvelous
6. Permanent Price
7. Missing Out
8. Hurts Me
9. That's What I Get
10. Guitar Romantic Search Adventure

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wallows   Primary Artist
Greg Liesz   Banjo
Roger Manning   Synthesizer,Piano,Synthesizer
Ariel Rechtshaid   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Timpani,Harmonica,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Bass),Synthesizer Bass,Guitar (Electric)
Henry Solomon   Saxophone
John DeBold   Guitar
Lydia Night   Vocals
Braeden Lemasters   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Cole Preston   Drums,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Synthesizer
Dylan Minnette   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Danny Ferenbach   Violin,Trumpet
Matt Dimona   Keyboards

Technical Credits

John Congleton   Composer
Emily Lazar   Mastering
Ariel Rechtshaid   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,String Arrangements
Dave Fridmann   Mixing
Jasmine Chen   Engineer
Matthew Dillon   Cover Photo
Nate Mercereau   Composer
Aryanna Platt   A&R
Cole Marsden   Composer
Greif Neill   Composer
Cole Marsden Greif-Neill   Composer
Michael Fridmann   Mixing Engineer
Chris Allgood   Mastering
John DeBold   Composer,Additional Production
Sarah Aarons   Composer
Braeden Lemasters   Composer
Cole Preston   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming,Additional Production
Dylan Minnette   Composer,Photography
Wallows   Art Direction
Hernan Ayala   Design,Art Direction
Matt Dimona   Engineer
Sachi DiSerafino   Composer
Anthony Pham   Back Cover
Austin Rice   A&R