“Chin on wrist adoration from the start,” is not only a beautifully written song lyric but the perfect way to describe listening to the band Wilmah for the first time. The pop duo from NYC creates tracks that evoke infinite heart eye emoji reactions from their fans. In their newest release, “It Will Always Be You,” Wilmah bottles up those feelings and delivers them in a jazz heavy, R&B inspired tune.
“Someone translate what I’m feeling…”
Matt Connolly and William O’Connor (hence Wil+mah), have known each other since grade school and played in the middle school band together. They are the definition of a ‘do-it-yourself’ group when it comes to songwriting, instrumentation, and production. Their songs can either have you dancing like no one’s watching or sobbing on the floor reminiscing on old scars. Wilmah draws their fans in with poppy feel-good tunes such as “Dancing With a Mixed Drink,” and “Forever,” while also incorporating teenage angst soundtrack cuts such as “Nothing to Say,” and “Secretly Sad.”
The band’s release of “It Will Always Be You” combines the best of both worlds for Wilmah fans. The song will have you spinning around the room one minute and crying happy tears the next. Either way, it is one that you will want to spin endlessly into fall.
“It Will Always Be You” // Unlike Any Wilmah Track You’ve Heard Before
My chat with Wilmah was full of laughs and gushing over similar interests in the music industry. It certainly did not take long to realize that these two have what it takes to conquer their bucket list goals as a band. Citing inspiration from The 1975, LANY, and MGMT, they embrace a genreless music era in the creation of their sounds.
“It Will Always Be You” is a surprising and risk-taking track for Wilmah and their fanbase. It is not often that you hear the type of production and instrumentation that the song incorporates. On first listen, you may be wondering who is playing the saxophone and how the sounds all came together. Matt and Will explain that this is their first collaborative type track where they feature another musician. Upon receiving a relatively well laid out demo of the track online, the saxophonist added his original flare to the sections they had chosen for the feature.
The saxophone collaboration is not the only surprise on “It Will Always Be You.” Fans will undoubtedly be drooling over the key changes at the end of the song as well. The band mentions that they enjoy playing around with different formats and crazy ideas when putting songs together. They recount that “It Will Always Be You” is a product of that experimentation.
“And my sweet brain plays tricks on me every day…”
Lyrical Life Lessons
Wilmah is a band of emotion-evoking lyrics. They tend to encapsulate the perfect picture of nostalgia, all-in first love, and naiveté in their songwriting. “It Will Always Be You” features on-brand lines such as “Backwards marathons and pleading payphone calls” and “I apologize for not being sorry.” They elaborate on the lyrical meaning during our interview, “It’s about when you’re young, and you are trying to navigate how you are feeling. You are fearful of losing someone and struggle to see a future without them.” “The song portrays the conflict of learning about yourself while you are simultaneously learning about your partner,” Matt Connolly recounts.
A Taste of What’s to Come
“It Will Always Be You” will also bring a new EP with the same title. EP two will feature six songs, that will include two more singles to follow this release. From the sounds of it, the second EP will follow their signature style along with more differentiation between the tracks. Fans should expect dance anthems, a ballad, jazz influences, and some 2010s throwback style vibes.
“It Will Always Be You” will surely open up doors for the band to accomplish their long list of future goals. They recently played their first Manhattan show alongside the band Drive!Drive! and have hopes of adding more tour dates in the future. As they continue to take inspiration from the artists they come in contact with and collaborate with on tour, they hope to develop an organic live show for fans as well.
“It’s the you, that nothing and no one can ever compare to…”
Wilmah will cross off another bucket list item when they play on October 29th in Brooklyn, NY with the band MILKK. Tickets are available here.
Stream the new release “It Will Always Be You” by Wilmah available now on all music platforms. Follow them on social media to share your thoughts on the new single!