Emerging Melbourne force Wayside have revealed details of their Will Yip-produced sophomore album, ‘What Does Your Soul Look Like’, slated for release on Friday 10th November via Nature Girl Records. The duo, comprised of vocalist Thomas Davenport and guitarist Josh Ehmer, are thrilled to share new single “Safe Forever” alongside the announcement.
“Safe Forever” is the band’s personal favourite track from the upcoming record, and combines powerhouse riffs with a haunting spaciousness that lingers long after the last note. As the band reveal, thematically the track explores “the premature loss of a loved one who battled through illness for years. The only way we were able to make our peace with it was knowing they were no longer in pain, and finally somewhere safe.
“Sonically, there are moments that are heavier than anything we’ve released before, borrowing elements from the nu-metal we grew up loving. However we wanted the verses and chorus to almost feel relieving and be as atmospheric and dreamy as possible.”
The new single is the fourth taste of Wayside’s second body of work, What Does Your Soul Look Like, following their stirring double single “Parallax Error” / “Asymmetry” and recent release “Proud Of You”. With their list of influences constantly evolving and challenging their approach to song writing and sound, Wayside reveal “We set out to push our boundaries and blur the lines between the genres we love.”
Their partnership with revered Philadelphia-based, Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip (Turnstile / Title Fight / Balance & Composure) granted them the space and drive to do so, as they travelled to the USA to record with him in Yip’s now-legendary Studio 4. The experience checked off their biggest bucket list item – “the opportunity to work with Will was quite literally a dream come true” – and has resulted in their most triumphant work to date.
“For anybody that had listened to us previously, we wanted to shift their perspective on what they thought our sound was. This record is heavier, softer, more experimental and more traditionally pop-structured than anything else we’ve done. Opening up that space to push and pull in different directions was definitely our main intention when we started writing these songs. Listen to the record or find it when the time is right for you and make it yours. This is where we’re at now in this moment.”
Both “Proud Of You” and “Parallax Error” received praise on-air from BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show host Daniel P Carter, with the latter receiving an exclusive world premiere and landing as Tune of the Week on release. Locally, they attracted airplay from triple j, Unearthed, PBS, 4ZZZ and more, and have been backed by Spotify and Apple Music both in Australia and beyond. The tracks have also found a home with the likes of Pilerats, Tone Deaf, Sounds of Oz, and HEAVY Mag, plus international titles Alternative Press, Brooklyn Vegan, and Ones To Watch.
This year the band have also made waves on the live circuit, filling their calendar with support slots for Movements and Boston Manor, plus Dream On Dreamer and Don Broco.
After the worldwide success of Wayside’s debut album, Shine Onto Me, released in 2021, the band amassed over 3 million streams on Spotify, and gained support and glowing reviews from Vogue, NPR Radio, Brooklyn Vegan, NME, Triple J and Alternative Press. FLOOD Magazine quoted “What’s definitely in these songs is movement—a feeling of free-floating, a dizzying sensation constructed vaguely with elastic riffs and airy vocals”.
Track List
1. Madonna
2. Proud Of You
3. Parallax Error
4. Asymmetry
5. Half Nelson
6. Lean Into It
7. Peace & Quiet
8. 116 Maple St
9. Safe Forever
10. I Still See You In My Dreams
11. Weightless
