Walter Etc.’s New Era, “When The Band Breaks Up Again” Review
DIY forerunners Walter Etc. share their new album When The Band Breaks Up Again as their first album after an eight-year hiatus joining the family at SideOneDummy.
The titular track opens the album with a ton of energy. As the lead single for the album, “When The Band Breaks Up Again” set the tone for a really exciting and fresh, yet comforting and nostalgic, album that anyone who enjoys subgenres from skate punk to indie folk will undoubtedly find elements of to enjoy. “Small Town Bro” follows up with a cross-genre twist that really is Walter Etc. at their core and at their best. The vocals on this track are so warm and complement the lyricism and composition really well.
Then there’s “Don’t Stop Losing” and “GTFO Thoreau”. The energy that is sustained track after track through this release is so impressive. Each of the songs feels distinctly different from the rest, but there seems to be a thread of life that connects them all. The variety provides a really entertaining listening experience supported by comedic lyrics, sampling, and skillful musicianship from the reunited crew.
“Sylvie’s a Mess” keeps up with the sort of silly but also very authentic lyricism, narrating a story about a character named Sylvie. As is the case with a lot of the tracks on this album, the song comes in at under two minutes (“When The Band Breaks Up Again”, “Small Town Bro”, and “Drown Enough” all fit into this category, too). Walter Etc. seems to thrive with these brief tracks, however, instead of the feeling that the songs are too short and the band should’ve made them longer (which definitely could have been the case), these songs all feel polished, complete works independent of their runtime.
The sixth track, “Victims of Integrity”, is as close as you can get to boiling Walter Etc. down to their basics. There’s the quippy lyrics with jaunty riffs and tasteful sampling. All of these elements are seen across the album, but this track combines them creatively and cleverly. Then “Drown Enough” comes along with a bass and drum leading tonality that offers a far shift from what the band had done thus far on the album. It still feels in line with the rest of the LP, but Walter Etc. keeps things really fresh with their sound on this record. While on the topic of the drums on this album, Walter Etc. drummer Kris Schobert managed to accomplish some outstanding drumming one-handed after a skiing accident left one of his arms broken.
I will admit, the title “Manic Pixie Misanthrope” had me a little alarmed when I was first checking out the track listing for this album because by this point I’m sure we’ve all had a run-in or two with the wrong kind of manic pixie enthusiast. This song is written with an underlying sense of irony and is beyond catchy in a way that fully captivated my attention. It also helps that Walter Etc.’s sound is so 90s inspired when there is such a contemporary language behind their lyrics. The contrast that creates keeps things really fun. Contrast is a strength of the band, with the whole of “Happy To Be Here” as a masterclass in how to contrast vocals with instrumentation.
When The Band Breaks Up Again closes out with “Something To Someone Somewhere”, the tenth track on this exceptional album. This track is an almost ballad that is reflective of the relationship between a band and its audience. I genuinely cannot overstate the way that this album impressed me from top to bottom. I was expecting a fun and energetic album, and Walter Etc. delivered. When I first heard “When The Band Breaks Up Again” as the lead single, I was not expecting the whole album to showcase such evolved skills since the band hasn’t worked together since their hiatus in 2015. The band’s eight years apart did not stop them from being an incredibly well-oiled machine with parts working together in fresh and exciting ways.
If you’re a fan of Modern Baseball (or Jake Ewald’s newer work with Slaughter Beach, Dog), Cheekface, Whitmer Thomas, or Antarctigo Vespucci, there’s a good chance you’ll fall for Walter Etc. and their new album When The Band Breaks Up Again. And if you dig them as much as I do, be sure to check them out on their tour this fall.
