WALWIN Turns The Alternative Genre On It’s Head With “Thorns”
Bring in the nostalgia of the mid ‘00s with the UK’s very own WALWIN. Influenced by the emo scene of that time and bands like Paramore, Mayday Parade and Taking Back Sunday, WALWIN has become a staple for the UK’s alternative scene. He has spent the last decade developing his talents as an artist, writer and producer of multiple influential records. While releasing his own music, WALWIN has worked with artists like Emma Blackery, Charlie Simpson and As December Falls. The up-and-coming artist is originally from Essex and spent his teenage years in and out of different alternative bands. Through this experience WALWIN was able to learn a range of different instruments prior to studying music production and creating his own home studio. He has been balancing his work as a Music Video Director and Photographer, shooting for acts like Nova Twins and Dani Sylvia, with producing his own music. WALWIN takes independent to another level as all his personal work has been a solo endeavor.
“Thorns” is the first single to be released off the upcoming album “Dechué” and it is an absolute banger. With over 200k hits on TikTok pre-release, “Thorns” went on to be featured on numerous Spotify playlists including New Music Friday, The Locker and Pop Punk’s Not Dead, alongside the likes of Blink 182, My Chemical Romance and Paramore. “Thorns” is very headbang worthy, bringing the listener back to pop punk’s time of dominance. The vocal quality is amazing, as is WALWIN’s lyrical structure. You can understand every word clearly, and WALWIN does an excellent job of delivering his intended emotion. It’s apparent that he has a clear sense of direction with his music, and I fully expect his album “Dechué” to follow suit when it releases in 2023. It is expected to be nostalgic emo for your late-twenties with a matured and refined take on the MySpace-era sound.
We of course asked WALWIN about what his inspiration was behind this track, and he told us “’Thorns’ is about the conversation we have with ourselves post-breakup. Sometimes we wallow in the sadness and other times we’re completely over it in a matter of days. This is about that in-between stage where you really do want to feel better, so you start lying to yourself and trying to convince your own mind that you’ll be fine without the other person, even if you don’t fully see it yet.” Delving deeper into the conversation, WALWIN shared “Sonically, the cyclical rhythm and twinkly guitars are reminiscent of early 00’s emo bands like 30 Seconds To Mars and Silverstein, while vocally I took inspiration from the super personal and candid style of Say Anything and Blue October – all with a London accent of course.”
With all releases and projects, issues are bound to arise. Often, meeting a deadline or perfecting one’s craft becomes a mental battle. WALWIN explained “The main barrier to overcome was trusting myself. It was my first release in over a year after falling slightly out of love with music over lockdown. I had to regroup and re-find my inspiration and ‘Thorns’ was the first of many tracks I’ve written and recorded since re-finding my passion. I recorded everything by myself in my apartment in London and then worked on the mix and master whilst traveling through France and other parts of Europe over the summer.”
WALWIN wants everyone to know that this is just a taste of what’s to come. He has carved out a niche for his audience which comprises of elder emos who love feeling nostalgic. “Thorns” is a song about a real adult relationship. We can’t wait to hear “Dechué” when it releases. WALWIN is bringing pop punk back into the forefront and I’m here for it.