Local Indie is doing numbers this month

Chloe Rawlinson 

Local Music Journalist 

Before seeing them in concert at Scoot Inn on the 11th of this month, I had never heard a West 22nd song. After their set started, I genuinely started questioning why; they were absolutely fantastic performers. The 4411, a San Marcos-based  band was their opening act. I was quite familiar with The 4411(see my article about their last tour here), but hadn’t had the chance to see live yet. Luckily enough for local indie lovers, both bands have released some spectacular  music this month! 

 On April 4th, Austin-based West 22nd released their debut album, Nowhere To Be, which, in my opinion, is an incredible  album for the summer season. Within the first two songs, “Can’t Help It,” and “Back On Me,” the band quickly establishes their beachy guitar lines and catchy lyrics. Their singer, Logan Madsen, lays down some great vocals throughout the album, reminiscent of The Backseat Lovers’ Joshua Harmon. 

At their Austin show, he was having as much fun on stage as I did listening to the album. These two songs are some of my favorites from the album, I could not recommend them more.  

 The next section of the album slows down a little bit. “Savannah” and “I Wonder Why,” are a bit more contemplative, especially the latter. “Savannah” almost sounds like a campfire song in the best way, reflecting the childhood memories within the lyrics. 

The fourth track is much slower and dreamier, with the addition of really beautiful strings. The slower tempo does really well to highlight the harmonies written into the song, pulling the song together in a neat little bow. 

 The innermost section of the album, containing, “Love On The Run,” “Laugh it Off,” and “Easy Love,” are definitely not just filler. “Love On The Run,” has a slight southern twang with its sliding electric guitar, matched perfectly with the sliding melody through the chorus. The song is still a bit slow, but the drums help to pick it up a bit, especially in the bridge.  

The next tune, “Laugh It Off,” keeps with the trend of a lost love, but is certainly not melancholy. The song almost reminds me of old boy bands like 5 Seconds of Summer or some more rock-forward One Direction. I, by no means, think that’s a bad thing. The nostalgic sound is genuinely so much fun, and I’m particularly fond of it. 

With, “Easy Love,” it’s clear that the band is relaxing before the end of the album. If the album were a love story, this song is asking for another chance. The lyrics plead for a conversation, emphasized by the persistent chorus. The last chorus of the song picks up, adding quicker drums and more improvisational vocal choices, as well as clapping! An indie classic! 

“Virginia Highlands,” is a super fun song, focusing on the band’s Austin roots. Similarly to “Savannah,” this song is filled to the brim with imagery of memories. The song is super upbeat, returning to the pingy, older Backseat Lovers style indie guitar. However, the song ends with some echoing on the final chorus which feels significantly more far away, both literally and figuratively. 

Where “Virginia Highlands,” pushed the listener away, “Save Your Soul” brings them right back in with comforting lyrics, urging the listener to pick themself up and keep moving. While the theme of the song isn’t as cohesive as the rest of the album, I can totally understand why it was included. The album feels like a coming of age story, and while it isn’t the final song in the album, it definitely feels like a resolution. 

“All I Ever Wanted,” and “Sun in the Sky” feel like end-credit songs. The former, a dance-y track, professing love with instrumentals similar to that of Two Door Cinema Club. The ending has a great buildup, made of soft drums and chanting of the chorus with Madsen singing his solo vocal line. The buildup is met with loud, clashing cymbals and a very interesting guitar line, with the song eventually fizzling out.  

“Sun in the Sky,” is an ending interlude, closing the album out with a completely chill 2 minutes. The production has some fuzz to it, the song sounding like its playing from a super old vinyl. The tune of the song is slow and almost jazzy with some fun whistling, which I think ends the album really well, tying the love story into a close.  

Also on my release radar, The 4411 released a new song earlier this week titled, “Honey, What is Your Name.” The song is a pretty fun departure from the rest of their discography. The song starts with drums, eventually leading into a very rock-forward electric guitar riff, which I love coming from them. It seems with this song that the band is dabbling into more alternative rock, pulling away from their usual indie-folk, which I am into.  

Along with the instrumentals, the vocals from Cogan McBride take a bit of a grungier spin as well, showing that McBride is absolutely capable of belting his heart out. This single makes me very interested to see what else they have in store for the rest of the year, possibly trying out more new genres before their next tour starts in June. 

If you missed the bands coming together at The Scoot Inn, there’s still more chances to see them separately in San Antonio at The Paper Tiger very soon! For ticket information, you can visit West 22nd and The 4411’s websites.