Description
The Way Down Wanderers sing like angels but write songs with guts that are unmistakably earthbound: a soon-to-be dad, excited but scared, fighting for self-growth; someone recovering from alcohol dependency, devoted to healing but with a confession to make--there are no fairytales here. And yet, the music begs an unapologetically Pollyanna question, like a big-hearted dare: Can a song help save you?
With More Like Tomorrow, the five-piece band from Peoria, Illinois, has emerged not just as quirky bluegrass kids with a habit of experimentation, but as confident purveyors of some of the most sophisticated roots-pop anywhere.
"I love it when the song itself dictates the sonic arrangement--the pop sensibilities or Americana we can throw in there," Collin says. "I think just allowing the song to exist as its own entity is really important."
Every song on More Like Tomorrow stands alone but works with the group to achieve something bigger--much like the Way Down Wanderers themselves. Collin and Austin met as teenagers--at 15 and 19, respectively. Multi-instrumentalist Austin was drumming in a rock band at the time, while Collin was playing mandolin and fiddle in a bluegrass-leaning folk outfit. The two felt like brothers fast. A few years later, Austin married Collin's older sister, making the two men who met and connected as boys actual family.
To form the Way Down Wanderers, Collin and Austin welcomed jazz percussionist John Merikoski, classical upright bassist John Williams, and banjo player Travis Kowalsky. The quintet's years on the road have built a devoted grassroots following, which the band cherishes. Collin points to the connection with audiences as a key cultivator of their latest songwriting. "Having a group that listens and absorbs your music who you can identify with as a community rather than just fans opens us up as writers to feel more comfortable about openly discussing personal things that we've been through in a song," he says.
Album opener "Codeine, Rest, & Loneliness" is a stunning example of what the Way Down Wanderers can do with that comfort. Co-written by Collin and Austin, the song is a breathtaking vocal and instrumental showcase, filled with soaring harmonies, intimate solos, and dizzying strings. Part mournful cry, part joyful tribute, "Codeine, Rest, & Loneliness" was inspired by the loss of two friends who died young. Both of the writers count the song as their favorite on the record.
With piano-pounding, jam-band swagger and a message of interconnectivity and hope, "The Wire" is a singalong just waiting to be shouted back to the stage. Leaning into a scratchy pop-train beat, "Hard Times" points to the rejuvenation made possible in the trenches of tough stuff. With poignant guitar tone that rings out like a bell and tender lead vocals, "Dark Marks" rests easily and gratefully in the comfort of home and love.
Stark bass kicks off "Forever," a moving medita
