Wallow’s indie-rock sound has been amplified as they continue to release music, exploring themes of nostalgia and more surrounding the feelings of someone young, dumb and in love. Through each song, the three do a great job of explaining the vulnerability that comes with young relationships, including the confusion about what’s next and how to finally get the girl. 

The fun and joy shine through the album–most of it at least. As Sam Nyazema said, a couple of songs fell short. The Wallows fanatic overall said she was over the moon when she saw their announcement that a new album would be coming sooner than she anticipated. The joyful tune teased in their single “At the end of the day” gave Nyazema a better indication of what she could expect from the album and turned out to be her favorite. The majority of the songs on the album that had not been released as singles simply fell short and did not live up to her expectations. 

“The more middle songs like ‘Marvelous,’ “Permanent Price’ and ‘Missing Out’ weren’t as complex as the rest of the songs were and those,” Nyazema explained. “But I liked the common theme of nostalgia and a feel of young dumb love with all these questions of what’s next and what to do which I can definitely relate to.’

Junior, Luke Greenfield, felt similarly and latched onto his nostalgia for Wallow’s initial releases, expressing his disappointment in their new sound. Greenfield is definitely justified in his opinion as the band has transitioned into a more electric feel, seemingly blurring their indie-rock roots. 

“They’re meant for a more mellow tone and song style and Spring EP is one of the perfect representations of what they can do as a whole with ‘Nothing Happens’ (previous album) being a good middle ground between upbeat and mellowish music,” Greenfield stated. 

Nostalgic feelings surround the entire album and draw listeners in through the lyrics. The general sound on the other hand distracted from the adoration expressed in each song. As a whole, the songs follow a relationship fueled by infatuation and immaturity. The electric feel reminded fans of the 80s and embraced the power of nostalgia which is one of the most common appeals in modern-day media. However, their approach felt more authentic and immersive as opposed to recent publications such as the movie Licorice Pizza. Varies for the movie differed dramatically from love to hate, with love being for its nostalgic feeling yet the overall plotline and age-gap relationship distracted from the appeal the writers attempted to create. Yet, Wallows was able to transcend time with ‘Tell Me That It’s Over,’ bringing an old-school feeling of simplicity back in a time of complexity and confusion around the world.