''Nothing Happens'' is the debut studio album by American band

Wallows Wallows is an American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles composed of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston. The band began releasing songs independently in April 2017 starting with "Pleaser", which reached number two on t ...

. It was released on March 22, 2019 through Atlantic Records.

Background

Dylan Minnette Dylan Christopher Minnette (born December 29, 1996) is an American actor, musician and singer. He is known for his role as Clay Jensen in the Netflix drama series '' 13 Reasons Why''. He has made guest appearances in several television series, s ...

, Cole Preston, and

Braeden Lemasters Braeden Matthew Lemasters (born January 27, 1996) is an American actor, musician, and singer. He is best known for his role as Albert Tranelli in the TNT comedy-drama series ''Men of a Certain Age''. He has made guest appearances in several telev ...

had been making music together long before the release of ''Nothing Happens''. From meeting in a music class, the three boys grew into close friends and musical partners. Finally, in 2017, going by the name Wallows, the group put out plenty of music leading up to their debut album. On February 1, 2019, Wallows released the album's first single " Are You Bored Yet?", featuring

Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, she began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose ...

. A subsequent music video was also released the same day with a cameo of

Noah Centineo Noah Gregory Centineo ( ; born May 9, 1996) is an American actor. He began his career performing on television and had a main role in the television series '' The Fosters'' from 2015 to 2018. He achieved wider recognition by starring in the Net ...

. The album's second single "Scrawny" was released on February 18, 2019, whilst the third single "Sidelines" was released on March 8, 2019. "Scrawny"s music video was released alongside the album on March 22, 2019. ''Nothing Happens'' was written and produced by

(guitar and vocals), Cole Preston (guitar and drums),

(guitar and vocals), and along with Grammy winner John Congleton. Dylan Minnette was previously known for starring in the Netflix series ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan M ...

''. Shortly after the season aired, Dylan announced his band "Wallows" and their first single, titled "Pleaser". Wallows' began working on ''Nothing Happens'' in 2018, shortly after releasing their first EP ''Spring''. Before 2017, Wallows were known as different band names, "The Feaver" and "The Narwhals". In an interview by "Recording Academy", the band members discuss how they felt about finishing the album. Lemasters describes their repertoire from their first single, until the last song on ''Nothing Happens'', represents a chapter of their lives and how they are looking forward to exploring new ways of expression with upcoming music.

Personnel

- vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboard * Cole Preston - piano, guitar, vocals, drums, keyboard *

- lead guitar, vocals, bass guitar

Release and promotion

''Nothing Happens'' (on vinyl, CD, digital streaming and download) was released by Atlantic Records. In support of their debut album, on February 19, Wallows performed "Are You Bored Yet?", featuring

, on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

''. The day before the album's release, on March 21, Wallows had a full interview with ''

Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...

'', describing the process of writing the album. The release of their album came along with a music video for the song "Scrawny". This video has been described as "comical", because it showcases the band in a boxing match. The video also served the purpose of gaining hype for the album because the song and music video are upbeat, and stand out from the rest of the album. In April 2019, Wallows performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California for their very first time. The album was promoted on their 2019-2020 tour, which was cut short due to the 2020

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Due to the pandemic shutting down their tour, they continued to find ways to promote their band and give fans what they wanted. Wallows filmed four shows while following COVID-safe procedures that allowed fans to watch Wallows performances from home. These performances were filmed at the

Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood) The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic. History The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973, by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along with ...

to give fans a feeling of normalcy during uncertain times.

Critical reception

''Nothing Happens'' received generally positive reviews by contemporary music critics. Gisselle Pernett, writing for ''Rock Cellar Magazine'', found the album a mixture of dance-worthy and nostalgic songs. Olivia Kesling of '' The Alternative'' regarded the album as entertaining, with an infectious energy. Meanwhile, Matt Raven of '' Under the Radar'' described the musical arrangements similar to ''

The Shins The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

'' and ''

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...

''. Marcy Donelson said for "All Music" that they showed their ability to have lyrical depth in most of their tracks. The song "Scrawny" was criticized for having a more self-deprecating irony to it with simple, repetitive lyrics.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut albums Wallows albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by John Congleton