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Walker & Wylde – Secondhand Existential Crisis LP
It has been a while since we had some folk-punk music like this on our pages, so a couple of the latest recordings by Walker & Wylde arrived at our headquarters just in time for review. These folks will release Corporate Sponsored Sunday School on May 12th on CD and all streaming platforms. However, I […]
It has been a while since we had some folk-punk music like this on our pages, so a couple of the latest recordings by Walker & Wylde arrived at our headquarters just in time for review. These folks will release Corporate Sponsored Sunday School on May 12th on CD and all streaming platforms. However, I would like to talk about Secondhand Existential Crisis first, so you could get an idea of what you might expect from their upcoming material. Secondhand Existential Crisis is a debut full-length by these prolific folk-punk musicians, consisting of thirteen skillfully arranged compositions. Still, this album isn’t their only release. Quite the contrary, these guys unleashed a five-track EP and an impressive amount of singles like Down By The River, Let It Fall, Here I Am, White Saviour Anthem, Paradise, Bottle Street, I Know Trouble, Let’s Make A Deal, See You Soon, Apocalypse Now, Karmic Justice, Fat Cat, and It’s The Same. As you can see, Walker and Wylde keep themselves busy as much as possible, and considering all these works were published since 2021, you’ll rarely find a folk-rock duo as prolific as they are.
Perhaps Walker and Wylde base their music upon the fundamentals of folk punk, but their compositions don’t sound like something you’ve experienced before. Quite the contrary, these folks push the genre forward as much as possible, so you’ll notice some of the finest properties borrowed from other complementary music along the way. They shapeshift the folk-punk sound as much as possible, and they’re doing it pretty well. Therefore, you’ll stumble upon elements of Americana, country, bluegrass, skiffle, klezmer, jazz, world music, and indie, but don’t be surprised if you find out more because the devil’s in the details. Still, you’ll hear how all these beforementioned music genres serve more as the enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that uplift their songs on an entirely new level, while folk punk remains as a primary sonic direction. Because of such a comprehensive collection of various styles, each composition differs in dynamics, mood, and ambiance, but they complement each other and represent one fine piece of sonic artistry.
Walker and Wylde almost solely rely upon acoustic guitar, double bass, and drums, but you’ll hear other instruments as well. Each segment of every song shines with some of the best ideas, melodies, harmonies, themes, leads, basslines, rhythmic structures, and other sonic maneuvers you’ll hear on the folk-rock scene. Still, it seems their vocal harmonies are the centerpiece of every composition, which is perfectly fine, considering both Walker and Wylde know how to deliver more than necessary low, mid, and high notes. Their vocal harmonies sound balanced, consistent, confident, sincere and emotive from scratch to finish. There’s no doubt that Secondhand Existential Crisis will appeal to even the pickiest listeners because these guys are one of the most creative folk-punk artists you’ll hear in a while. Secondhand Existential Crisis is available on vinyl or via streaming platforms. Don’t miss it.
Source: thoughtswordsaction.com
