Review: Waxflower Brings A Little Bit of Hope with Their Debut EP

We Might Be Alright, the Waxflowerâs debut EP, came out on April 16^th.Â This is the bandâs first release on Rude Records.Â Tristan Higginson (vocals, bass), Daniel Seymour (drums), Nick Hargens (guitar), Jordan Beard (guitar) make-up the pop-punk quartet from Brisbane, Australia.Â Previous to their debut EP, the band released the singles âGetting Betterâ, âSixteen Floorsâ and âTogetherâ. The band has toured with bands such as Simple Plan, The Dangerous Summer, The Maine, and Stand Atlantic.

One of the best parts of writing album reviews is discovering new bands.Â I usually scan through the daily press releases and listen to snippets from various songs and albums. Most get skipped over but occasionally one catches my ear. This was the case with this EP.Â It possessed a bright, uplifting sound in contrast to some of the others which tend to be on the harsher more negative side. The EP was produced by Stevie Knight who has worked with other pop-punk Australian acts including Stand Atlantic and With Confidence. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

âThis is our first cohesive release. I think itâs a perfect representation of what weâve learned over the last year or two as well as the experiences Iâve had along the way. Hopefully, people can resonate with its optimism, the world surely needs some right now.â – Tristan Higginson

Higginson discussed the EP, âThe name âWe Might Be Alrightâ is a representation of this, but there is more to the full product. The writing of the EP happened alongside me overcoming my crippling anxiety and panic disorder. Although that was a net positive, it came with the new challenge of having to shed the way I saw and projected myself due to those struggles. I had to replace my anxious life with a ânormalâ one.

âThis was scary to me because although my time living in the grasp of my anxiety was horrible, it led to this band, the songs, the tours that would eventually help me to overcome it. Itâs the reason why shows like The Voice focus on the sob stories more than the singing. Itâs an interesting part of the human experience, and there is a part of me that thinks weâre only valid in our scene if we continue brooding. Itâs something that Iâm still coming to terms with, and this EP catalogues these thoughts in each track.“

We Might Be Alright has an indie feel with emo lyrics but a little edgier with pop-punk style guitar rhythms. The opening track, âAgainâ, starts with a techno-pop intro and verse before the guitars kick in for the chorus. Caitlin Henry, front woman for Eat Your Heart Out makes a guest appearance on the track joining Higginson on the choruses. The world is going through some trying times. This song tries to infuse some positivity. Â ââAgainâ is a mantra of hope,â says Higginson. âItâs a reminder of my capacity to heal when times inevitably get tough. Although it does touch on those times, there is a vein of optimism running through the song thatâs new for us.âÂ

âNot Aloneâ continues the bands upbeat message. âItâs easy to become complacent in times of sadness or anxiety – to become defined by it,â says Higginson. âFor me, that became a facade, almost as if I was lingering in that shadow to bolster an image, rather than actively trying to get better. Iâve been prone to isolating myself when times get tough, and as addictive as that melancholy can be, itâs not healthy. âNot Aloneâ is an exercise in self-reflection, focusing on the internal struggles that come with striving to better your mental state. But it also expands on this by factoring in the support networks we have, the helpful tools outside of our own will and mind.â

âFood For Your Gardenâ examines the process of growing and learning from failed relationships.Â âItâs about running from your past and avoiding personal change by trying to find it in another,â reveals Higginson. âRegardless of how a relationship ends, you learn from it, you live with it and so do they. Sometimes you arenât meant to be in someoneâs life, and thatâs fine. You may as well let your time together be the fertilizer that helps you grow.â

The last two tracks span Higginsonâs range of optimism. âFake Frownâ is the darkest song on the album.Â Higginson delves into his struggles with anxiety. Â He sings about struggles, medication, and fake friends. The song lacks any positive resolution. âFake Frownâ is contrasted by the albumâs final song, âWe Might Be Alrightâ, which is the bandâs most optimistic song. Some say that itâs the first impression that you remember, but in this case, I think itâs the last impression that remains with you. The album closing with this song leaves the listener in a positive mood. Â Its catchy chorus is one that will keep you awake at night with its lines stuck in your head.

One of my favorite quotes is from the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities. Â âIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.â Â All these apply to the times we are living through today with the pandemic, political divisions, economic woes, social injustices, poverty, etc.

We Might Be Alright by Waxflower provides 15 minutes of escape from the darkness, despair, and incredulity, bringing some needed positivity and hope into the times through which we are passing. Waxflower finds a formula that works with this album. Â Structure the songs with meaningful, negative experience filled verses and counter that with upbeat, optimistic choruses that resolve this negativity. Â Choruses with up tempo guitars and catchy lines that stick in your head.

This is one of my favorite releases so far in 2021.Â If you are looking for some pick me up tunes to add to your playlist, then We Might Be Alright is certainly an album you should consider.

Track List