W.H. Walker
Suds!
Portland, OR
“Doo-wop pop meets garage punk fun”
What happens when a band fuses 1950s doo-wop pop with garage-punk and a contagious beat? Nostalgia for those laid-back summer days spent on the beach with friends, of course. W.H. Walker’s newest album, Suds!, blends the feel-good pop melodies of decades past, with a playfully updated twist on rock `n` roll.
On Suds!, the Oregon-based group doesn’t try to dazzle listeners with complex chords or heavy messages. Although each track has a distinct sound, the overall energy of the album is full of fun, catchy tunes that are carefree and easy to listen to.
“Suds” kicks off the album with the most unmixed form of pop, and the band continues the same upbeat tempo throughout the album. With strong backing vocals, songs like “Saving Every Secret” and “Second Hand Store” will have you cruising around with the windows down, trying to harmonize while head-bopping to the melodies flooding your stereo. “The Untold Death of Grady Jones” illustrates the group’s ability to tell stories, while also showcasing how vital the instruments and harmonies are to the structure of the EP. Suds! is catchy and easy to sing along to – nothing short of an entertainingly upbeat record. It will leave you dreaming of sunshine and curious to hear more from these PDX popsters. (Boogie Creek)
Produced and engineered by Stan Jones at Buzz & Howl Studio, Portland, OR // Additional production by Pat Kearns at Perma Press Studios, Portland, OR
-Michelle Embleton
boogiecreekrecords.com/w.h.walker