Wallows Gives Us “More” In Their New EP
Graphic by Kristen Lee
by Heather Thorn
Wallows strikes gold again with their latest release, More (2025), an EP of seven songs overarched by themes of undeniable human truths: regretful romance, devotion and dissolution, the daunting idea of beginning again, and the hope that comes with it. Wallows’ refinement of their alternative-rock, pop, and post-punk sound culminates in a fresh project ready for your ears.
The band first caught my attention in 2020 with their album Nothing Happens (2019). Studded with alternative-rock pop classics such as “Are You Bored Yet? (featuring Clairo),” “What You Like,” and “Remember When,” this album proved to be a pivotal moment of the band’s trajectory. It’s not hard to see why: Wallows provides something special in each of their projects. They’re more than a boy-next-door trio based from Los Angeles, California. Their superpower remains intertwined in their melodies and lyricism: Wallows’s ability to establish a tight, atmospheric mood in every song.
As the follow-up to the group’s last album, Model (2024), More’s impending release had me counting down the days until I could listen to Wallows’ seven new songs. The day is finally here and Wallows give exactly what they promised they would: more. The EP provides a unique and refreshing refinement of the band’s sound and is invigorating with its exploration of existentialism, honest expressions of desire, and matured outlook on daily life.
The opening track “Not Alone” quickly establishes the EP’s heavier atmosphere. It’s introspective and full of regret, with vocals shared by Braeden Lemasters and Dylan Minnette. The lyrics reflect on chasing after ghosts, wanting someone who’s impossible to have, and learning to let shared memories linger. “Deep Dive” continues that crawling sense of devotion, the type of all-consuming desperation to be with someone. The song is soft and dreamy.
More basks in its mellowness with its first single “Your New Favorite Song.” The song is utterly intricate and expansive with bursting horns of energy as Minette sings, his vocals tender and delicate. Wallows’ introspective lyricism shines with their vulnerable posing of questions paired with admittance of self-doubt. “Think I wrote you your new favorite song / Would you pan it, or would you sing along?” Minette asks, showing certainty in this unknown: “It's more than likely that I'll never know / But I'll still look out for you at the show.” The outro of self-assurance in lines “Wеll, I, I don't wanna know / No, I, I don't wanna know” ends the song with confidence and clarity, demonstrating Wallows’ ability to uplift emotions while simultaneously trying to understand them.
More’s second single, “Coffin Change,” hooked me with its sharp change of pace and tone. The lyrics are unapologetically existential, wading in questions of life and death and wallows in the unknown of it all. One of Wallows’ superpowers is admitting what they don’t know and coming to peace with hidden human truths. Lemasters takes reign of the track, revelling in his curiosities: “Is there more, more to death than dying? More, more than life to live? / If time, time will outrun me / Then why do I still run?” The image of a coffin—or, rather, “pinching all my pennies ‘til they shove me in my coffin”—keeps the song serious while sung to an energetic and sliding beat. “Hide It Away” continues to encompass crushing existentialism, but verges from comfort found in accepting the unknown. Instead, it approaches topics of fading youth and wasted time with self-certainty, even if it entails hiding one’s pain away.
Wallows returns to the ideas of deep devotion and new beginnings with “Learn to Love Again.” The song is dreamy and bouncy as it jumps between heartfelt musing and nervous questions. Do you see what I see? Have you ever felt this way before? It doesn’t matter, because the song’s beginning uncertainty transforms into heartwarming assurance: “I knew this day would come around / When you'd see / It's already begun / You know you're not just anyone to me / You learned to love again.”
“Deep Dive (Reprise)” rounds out the EP in its revision of “Deep Dive.” The reprise is electric and funky, providing the original a track a fresh new burst of energy in its reimagined approach. The reprise is a reflection of the original, leaving the song open-ended but with enough closure to provide listeners with a perfectly satisfying ending to More.
Ultimately, Wallows has proved themselves a band capable of innovation and taking their sound to the next level while staying true to their roots. The EP is energetic whilst introspective, delicate while assertive, and hopeful while realistic…. In short, Wallows’ latest release is everything I wanted and more.