Album Review: Walt Disco - 'Unlearning'
A fortnight on from The Ninth Wave releasing their album, another of Glasgow’s Holy Trinity (see also Lucia & The Best Boys), Walt Disco are hot on their heels with their debut LP ‘Unlearning’ pitching up this week.
It’s been fascinating to see the evolution of the band over the last three or four years as they’ve transformed from a group who perhaps weren’t quite sure who or what they were to a formidable force in a fairly short space of time. 2020’s ‘Young Hard and Handsome’ EP and a collection of singles either side of the EP have shaped the Operatic Electro Indie Pop sound the band boast today and in terms of cohesion, ‘Unlearning’ is their most complete set of songs to date.
‘Weightless’ fires up the smoke machine and sets the atmosphere from the off with its dark and mysterious bass-heavy tones intermittently interrupted by beams of light in the form of shrieking synths. An unexpected guitar unmasking towards the final quarter of the track give an already strong opener extra marks.
The party poppers are out on ‘Selfish Lover’ which, for anyone that’s been fortunate enough to catch the band live before will attest, it’s outrageously unhinged euphoria when the band play high-tempo songs like this. Perhaps even more impressively, they’ve managed to bottle all of that energy into the track which is no easy feat.
Earlier I touched on the evolution of the band, a lot of this can be attributed to singer James Potter who is now oozing with confidence. Their vocal range has always been impressive, but it’s next level on this record and there’s really no other frontperson like them. I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but I feel like Walt Disco has been an important vessel for James to become the leader they are today and the love and unity the group has for each other is something really special and there for all to see.
It’s nice that one of the highlights from the aforementioned ‘Young Hard and Handsome’ EP got the call up for album duties too. ‘Cut Your Hair’ is a trademark Walt Disco song and it’s fully deserving of a second appearance on their debut. It’s a pillar amongst newer tracks and still sounds just as quirky and fresh 18 months on.
I liked ‘Timeline’ without being overly enamoured, perhaps the effect on the vocal coupled with the main riff was a little too MGMT for me, but it was worth a revisit as by the second and third listen I was fully sold. The distorted bass and guitar riff working in unison at the end is perfection.
‘Be An Actor’ is as close as I’ve heard the band get to writing a Lounge song. If I ever find myself swimming with dolphins or drinking straight from a coconut on a beach, this is the tune I’d want to soundtrack either of those unlikely but wonderfully blissful scenarios.
I couldn’t help but yearn for slightly less busy moments like the heartbreakingly beautiful ‘Past Tense’ which three years on is still one of the band’s finest moments. ‘Those Kept Close’ just about replicates it in terms of the overall feeling you get with its heart on sleeve vocals and synths. Perhaps not as instantly accessible, this is one that grows over time and will trigger a slightly different emotion on each listen.
Nearing the finish line, they pick up the pace again with a strong finishing trio of passion fuelled ‘My Dear’, Nine Inch Nails sounding ‘Macilent’ and ‘If I Had A Perfect Life’ which features a poem penned by Potter about the learning curve of writing and recording the album. Personal touches like this and the personal growth they reference and inspire in others are the ties that bind the band and their fans together.
While there’s still parts to explore and expand on in the future, Walt Disco have put down an ambitious marker for themselves with ‘Unlearning’ and in doing so they’ve created an at times absurdly theatrical but undeniable masterpiece layered with enjoyment.
Words by Richard Cobb
