North Texas Daily

With a handful of singles and their “Spring” EP, Los Angeles-based band Wallows has sold out world-famous venues (like The Troubadour and The Roxy), so it’s no surprise they were booked for a festival in the live music capital of the world.

The trio is comprised of guitarist and vocalist Braeden Lemasters, drummer Cole Preston and guitarist and vocalist Dylan Minnette. Audiences might recognize a familiar face in the band, as Minnette also plays Clay in the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”

However, the star power from Wallows seemingly comes from their longtime bond. Lemasters, Preston and Minnette have been close friends since they were young, playing in various bands like The Narwhals and The Feaver. With new music on the horizon, the band talks about musical influences and their trajectory as a band on the rise.

This was your first time at Austin City Limits. How has your experience been so far?

Wallows: We came in and saw [Paul] McCartney, and we got here and played a show. We haven’t seen much of the festival so far, but everyone’s super nice. It’s not like [Los Angeles].

You have a sound that is often compared to The Strokes or Weezer. What other artists have influenced your music? 

Wallows: There’s so much. All three of us are all huge Arcade Fire fans, but there’s so many. I feel like a lot of us are mainly inspired, at least [within] a couple years, by certain R&B and hip-hop artists for sure, like [Tyler, the Creator] and Brockhampton, so it’s all over the place. Even in our song “Pictures of Girls,” a lot of people heard New Order. A lot of people say that but to me, I never heard of it that way.

During the performance, you mentioned that headliner Paul McCartney was the reason you were playing music. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

BL: I was literally raised on the Beatles, and my dad was the biggest Beatles fan of all time. I would not be playing if it wasn’t for the Beatles — [that’s] a fact.

CP: It’s true.

BL: My dad started playing music because of the Beatles when he was a kid — he taught me guitar. I was listening to Britney Spears and NSYNC, which are great things, but then my dad one day was like, “Now let’s show you the Beatles,” and he showed me Sgt. Pepper. My 9-year-old mind was blown. It’s literally insane to play that stage after McCartney played it. It was kind of a weird thing — I feel like I felt his energy there.

You guys have known each other for a long time. How does that dynamic affect how you write and perform?

Wallows: I feel like it’s made us more able to accept each other’s opinions because we’re just so close with each other that we’re not afraid to “hurt” each other’s feelings. We all know we’re doing it out of love for them and love for the music that it’s made us better at communicating. We’re completely aware and really trust each other. Some of us will get set in our ways about something, and then Cole brings up this brilliant idea and we’ll be like “eh.”

Have you been working on any new music?

Wallows: There’s an album in the works. We’re getting closer and closer, and I think sometime next year it’ll be coming out. It’s crazy because last tour we had four songs out, and with our new one we’ll have like over 20, so it’ll be a whole different thing. I’m so excited to have a set full of songs we can have out. At these festivals we feel like fans, but at our own show it’ll be exciting to [have a full album].

Featured Image: Wallows shares how they felt connected to Paul McCartney’s ACL performance, as his music has been an influence on the band. The band met when they were young and are now based in Los Angeles. Members said a new album will be released next year. Kelsey Shoemaker