"Krone" interview

Wallners: Dreampop into hearts and souls

Wallowing in melancholy, but still looking to the future with hope: The Wallner sibling duo on "End Of Circles".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Upstairs, Tim Cavadini)

Five years after their kick-start with the single "In My Mind", the Viennese sibling duo Wallners are finally releasing their debut album "End Of Circles". It features melancholic dreampop, raindrops and the chirping of crickets. In the "Krone" interview, the quartet gave a closer insight into the band's nature and being.

Timing can be a dog - the Wallners can't sing a song about that. In 2020, the four siblings Anna, Laurenz, Nino and Max Wallner surprised everyone with the hypnotic single "In My Mind", which featured a well-balanced indie pop sound that is normally only known from established names in the scene. In promotional images and in the very rare social media publicity, the quartet presented themselves as dark and reserved as their music - which in turn unfolded at record speed in the ear canals of a rapidly increasing number of fans. Director Christian Petzold also fell under the spell of the original sound and chose the fragile song as the driving song for his successful film "Roter Himmel". This was followed by the first EP "Prolog I" and a contract with industry giant Universal Music - but the Wallners suddenly found themselves facing the opposite problem.

A pleasant start
While many other bands had the rug pulled out from under them during the coronavirus pandemic, the Viennese siblings hit the rocks just as global normality was increasingly setting in. "The start of our career was actually pleasant because we weren't so keen on playing so much live right away," the siblings reflect on the kick-start to their career almost five years ago in the Krone interview, "it would probably have felt even more absurd if we'd had to go on stage with the first songs straight away instead of letting them mature. We then simply used the time to make music". The Wallners didn't let external circumstances throw them off their stride and, above all, didn't let them get stressed. Half a decade has passed between their breakthrough single and their debut album "End Of Circles" - more than half an eternity in times of streaming and turbo capitalism.

The Wallners work differently from other sibling bands. They don't have a patriarchal father in the background like the Jackson 5, nor do they try to outdo each other vocally in falsetto (Bee Gees) or found a new hippie commune (the Kelly Family). And they don't beat themselves up either - unlike the Mancunians from Oasis, they are far too well-mannered for that. Wallners find their salvation in dreampop, which sometimes veers in an optimistic direction, but sonically wallows with joy in the depths of melancholy. If some of the tracks remind you of the now hall-sized Cigarettes After Sex, you're on the right track - the sinister duo from Texas are undoubtedly one of the most important sources of inspiration for the family band, whose father runs a piano store in the German capital and who were practically born with a love of music.

Meticulous puzzle work
"When things weren't going so well creatively, we took extra time to make the songs good. Being in the studio together and concentrating on the songs sometimes worked better, sometimes worse. We wrote individual songs and collected ideas and at some point we thought it might be time to turn them into an album." Despite the high expectations of a thirsty (indie) public, the Wallners never let themselves be deterred on their path of calm. "It's puzzle work. Sometimes key moments arise. For example, with the song 'End Of Circles', we suddenly knew that it had to be the album title." The songs on the album were written over a period of almost five years and yet they still seem to have come together as one. "It was important to us to let the instruments speak more. We had a bit of an overload of tracks on the EP. The aim was to reduce everything acoustically a little."

The beauty of their sound is also rooted in nature. They bunkered down in their parents' rural home in Lower Austria and recorded the rain, the call of owls or the chirping of crickets. These are all important elements that connect the tender songs. "We usually record everything as a foursome and are only satisfied with something when everyone agrees. That's perhaps one reason why things sometimes take so long. Some things are almost a rush job, others are driven by perfectionism. With us, everything is somehow there." There have been no attempted coups in the musical sibling corset yet, they add with a grin. Although the musical tastes of the individual members diverge greatly from one another, they noticeably and tangibly pull together under the Wallner banner. "It's a bit about opening up an image with the songs that you don't actually know yet." The basis is a certain atmosphere, which is then poured into music and lyrics.

Entering other worlds
"It's nice to write something that opens up spaces, but can also leave a lot open. We are already in a dream world, and this world can have all colors and shapes - depending on the mood. Sometimes it's very scenic, sometimes more concrete. Like with 'Dreaming Of The Sea', where we simply thought of the sea. Writing a song also means entering another world. That's why the real world doesn't have to be bad, but it's often nice to be able to let yourself fall in somewhere else and sink into this other world." Visualization is also important here, with videos or matching visualizers providing an additional visual component to the sound. The song "Old Fashioned" works for the Wallners almost according to the principle of "nomen est omen". "It's an incentive for us not to keep up with the speed of the world and the latest trends. Music can also be a refuge and slow things down - that's where we feel more at home."

Live in Austria
After an incredible five-year delay, the Wallners are finally going on tour. The German dates are almost sold out, but tickets are still available for the shows in Austria. "It would also be our ambition to take the sound even further internationally." For now, the Wallners can be seen in Austria with their debut "End Of Circles". On February 28 at the WUK in Vienna and then in the rest of Austria in the fall. On November 2 at the Spielboden Dornbirn, on November 4 at the Salzburg Rockhouse, on November 5 at the Posthof in Linz, on November 6 at the ppc in Graz and on November 12 at the Mozartsaal of the Vienna Konzerthaus.