Album Review Wallows - Tell Me That It’s Over

Wallows have long balanced their effortlessly sunny indie-pop with brooding, angst-fuelled moments, and ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ is a vibrant example of this concept. Scattered with squeaky licks, buoyant 808s and spacious texture, the record bounds with personality. ‘Hard to Believe’ and ‘Hurts Me’ tap into the endearing pull of vocalist Dylan Minnette’s vocoder sway, with a distinct synth-wave backbone that brings momentum to both tracks. A tableau of a high school talent show is presented in ‘Marvelous’ while Wallows’ token hooks can be found on ‘Hurt Me’. The unexpected noise rock proportions of ‘Permanent Price’ teeter into the avant-garde, layering the bombast of ‘Oompa’ with lucent layered harmonies, and the grunge throw-down dynamics of ‘Missing Out’ pair Wallows’ indie DNA with a late-‘90s rock influence. The record circulates themes of insecurity freely, with the retrospective know-how of a mid-20s man lamenting failed relationships. “I’d never give up on you, but you gave up on me, and that’s what I get for falling in love,” Dylan claims. ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ is a superlative ode to vulnerability, permitting these indie wallflowers to flourish in technicolour.