New Artist Find: Walla

It’s easy, especially as a music reviewer, to get wrapped up in vocab words and philosophy, or to hold some unrelenting idea that every new artist needs to be insightful and Earth-shattering or they’re just not worth their salt. Occasionally though, a band will come along that’s just so damn fun and infectious that you throw all of your highfalutin, preconceived notions out the window and you can’t help but bob your head and smile. Walla is one of those bands.

Introduced to us by matchless curator Pucken, from the first up-tempo chord straight into the crashing, banging entrance of the drums I knew this song, “Nature,” was one I could get behind.

Bouncing, boisterous guitar work backs foot-stomping drums and crispy crème vocals that all come together to make a piece of music that is just plain fun. It makes me smile.

It’s got a pretty awesome video to go along with it too.

After listening to so much plodding and introspective electronica and ambient music (not that I don’t love both of those things) it’s just nice to listen to a song that harkens back to the “I just don’t give a fuck” rock and roll of the punk movement and the 90s. Sometimes a little head-banging is just what the doctor ordered.

Is this catchy new artist going to change the world with “Nature?” Probably not. But I’ve already added this unreasonably infectious tune to my “Party” playlist, and I imagine many more people will be doing the same thing very soon.