Walls creates a sound that exists in the beautiful, blurry space between ambient drone and structured electronic pop. Their music feels like looking at a landscape through a thick layer of gauze; the shapes are familiar, but the edges are soft and glowing. It is deeply melodic but never insistent, relying on a sense of drift and atmospheric weight to carry the listener along.
What sets them apart is the way they marry the motorik rhythms of Krautrock with the ethereal textures of 90s shoegaze. There is a tactile, analog warmth to their production that feels human and slightly frayed at the edges, avoiding the cold precision often found in modern electronica. The vocals are treated as another instrument, submerged in reverb and delay until they become part of the harmonic weather.
Start with their second album, Coracle. It is the definitive statement of their sound, balancing propulsive rhythmic tracks like Sunporch with moments of pure, crystalline stillness. It is the perfect companion for those transitional moments of the day when you want to feel connected to the world but kept at a safe, dreamlike distance.
Walls are an electronic band from the UK. They are a two-piece composed of Alessio Natalizia and Sam Willis. Italian Natalizia moved to London in 2008 and started his project Banjo or Freakout. Willis originated in Manchester and moved to London in 1996. They have released two albums on Kompakt Records. Their first album (self titled) picked up Mojo 's 'Electronic Album of the Year'. They were also featured in NME 's end-of-year list. Walls won critical acclaim with their second album Coracle, released in August 2011. Their first single from it, "Sunporch", was released on 29 August 2011. Walls debut was also a favourite amongst their contemporaries – Jamie xx, Caribou, James Holden and Battles. The Field and Pantha Du Prince are also known to have collaborated with the artist. Walls are signed to Kompakt record label and have featured on a compilation album named Total 11.
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres); dreamy, wistful, contemplative (moods)
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres); reverb heavy, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares reverb heavy, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); ambient techno, shoegaze, indie pop (subgenres)
Shares dreamy, wistful, contemplative (moods); ambient techno, downtempo (subgenres)
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres); breathy, ethereal, processed (vocal style)
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres); dreamy, wistful, contemplative (moods)
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, indie pop (subgenres); breathy, ethereal, processed (vocal style)
Shares reverb heavy, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres)
Shares breathy, ethereal, processed (vocal style); reverb heavy, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares dreamy, wistful, contemplative (moods); ambient techno, shoegaze, downtempo (subgenres)
Shares ambient techno, shoegaze, serene, dreamy (signature)
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