Wallice is a young singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who has only recently become known. Her biography is curious. At the age of 4, in 2002, Wallice appeared in a Christmas episode of ‘Frasier’. She then studied jazz in New York, but dropped out to devote herself fully to her musical career. Today she is signed to Dirty Hit, the label that includes The 1975, Wolf Alice, Rina Sawayama and beabadoobee.
Wallice’s guitar-centric sound, similar to that of labelmate Bea Kristi and Phoebe Bridgers, is defined by her most-played single, ’23’. The fuzzy distortion of the guitars in particular makes for another fine composition on ‘Best Friend’, while ‘Punching Bag’ is most reminiscent of the bedroom-pop era.
Although Wallice’s music emphasizes guitars and distortion, as she cites Weezer and MGMT as her biggest influences, she is also inspired by folk. The Laurel Canyon movement is punctuated by “Japan,” a song dedicated to her parents’ country of origin.
These are the two coordinates that the two singles that present ‘The Jester’, Wallice’s debut album, which goes on sale in November, move in. On the one hand, ‘Heaven Has to Happen’ wanders between country-pop, grunge and dream-pop. On the other, ‘The Opener’ opens in a chamber pop key, mixing pianos and strings… before letting loose in a guitar-driven finale.
The proposition of ‘Heaven Has to Happen’ is further complicated by the song’s mix of acoustic guitars and synthesizers, and, if that weren’t enough, it ends on a high note by adding a saxophone solo. The controlled chaos of ‘Heaven Has to Happen’ reflects the emotional disarray of a Wallice who deals with impostor syndrome and, also, with the uncertainty of a career that doesn’t advance. Wallice puts herself in the role of a “jester” and goes so far as to title the album with this word and to appear characterized as a poor clown on the album cover. Ironically, this is only the beginning.
