Wallows @ Red Rocks

Wallows crushed their show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 5, 2024 in Morrison, CO. With BENEE warming up the crowd, it was a night to remember.

BENEE

With her notably smoky, stylized vocals and introspective lyrics, BENEE marries sophisticated soul and playful alt-pop. She initially hit the charts with her 2018 single “Soaked” before cracking the Top 20 in her native New Zealand with her debut EP, the soul-slanted Fire on Marzz, in 2019. Her quirkier, collaboration-heavy debut album, Hey U X, went all the way to number two. 2022 saw the release of the LYCHEE EP.

Pulled from AllMusic

Wallows

Los Angeles’ Wallows have a distinctive ’80s-influenced sound alongside more grounded contemporary bedroom pop. Their debut album, Nothing Happens, was released in 2019 and reached 75 on the Billboard 200. Following this, the band made another Billboard 200 appearance in 2020 with the Remote EP. They continued to gain traction with their second album, Tell Me That It’s Over. Then, in 2024, their John Congleton-produced album Model emerged as their highest-charting record yet, landing in the U.S. Top 30 and Australian Top 20.

Early Days

Wallows initially attracted broader public attention in 2017, when bandmember and actor Dylan Minnette starred in the teen drama 13 Reasons Why. Nevertheless, Wallows had been active for several years before this press coverage. The band, consisting of singer/guitarist Minnette, singer/guitarist (and fellow actor) Braeden Lemasters, and drummer Cole Preston, originally formed from a music class the friends took together. By their teenage years, they were performing under various names, including making an appearance on the 2011 Warped Tour. During this time, they balanced their musical aspirations with Minnette’s and Lemasters’ emerging acting careers.

After settling on the name Wallows, they released several standalone singles in 2017 before signing with Atlantic Records. The label then put out their debut EP, Spring, produced by John Congleton, in 2018. This EP featured the single “Pictures of Girls,” which made it into the Top 40 of Billboard’s alternative songs chart. Subsequently, their single “Are You Bored Yet?” featuring Clairo reached number seven on the same chart and was included on their full-length debut, Nothing Happens, which came out in March 2019. Following this release, Wallows performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival and went on to sell out rock clubs across the U.S. and Canada.

Coming Back

Returning in early 2024, Wallows released the singles “Your Apartment” and “Calling After Me,” both of which were featured on their third album, Model, released in May. This album marked Wallows’ biggest chart success to date, reaching the U.K. Top 40, debuting at number 28 on the Billboard 200, and peaking at number 14 in Australia. Shortly thereafter, Minnette, who had not acted since 2022’s The Dropout (Hulu), announced his intention to devote all of his creative energy to music.

pulled from AllMusic