Walt Disco On Their Upcoming Album, 'The Warping'

Walt Disco is releasing their latest album, “The Warping,” on June 14th. Since the beginning of 2024, the band has been teasing the audience with singles off their forthcoming album; the latest release being “Come Undone.” Walt Disco explains that the upcoming album “explores themes of change, growth and dealing with the complex struggles that feature in anyone's life.”

From the singles released, Walt Disco’s sound can be described as post punk with vocals that keep the listener on the edge of their seat. Sometimes their sound as a whole is soft and riddled with anticipation, a smooth bass and drum-beat that steadies the song, with electric notes of guitar and synths and smooth vocals. Oftentimes their songs switch directions and come in heavy with the instruments and powerful vocals that are attention-grabbing. Listen to the released singles from “The Warping” here.

Can you give a brief insight into how you met and how the band formed?

Walt Disco is a so-called "supergroup" of bands you've never heard of. It started with an almost completely different lineup including Jocelyn and Lewis. Over the years the other members were poached from various bands up and down the country.

The most recent release, “Come Undone,” kicks off with the lyrics, “All night,” which seems to be a repeating lyric throughout the song. The vocals swing from quiet anticipation to being powerful. The whole song feels like an anthem for a night out. When creating this song, was there a goal in mind for how you wanted people to feel when listening?  

We wanted people to feel slightly horny, brought together by loneliness, and foolishly romantic.

 In “You Make Me Feel So Dumb,” there is a catchy groove perfectly facilitated by the bass and guitar riffs and added layers of piano and synth notes continuously throughout the song. Sonically, when writing this song, how did all the layers of each instrument get created?

We demoed the song in L.A. Jack had the piano part, and then we added the most simple drum part we could and Jocelyn added bass which sought to add new harmony to the chords in the chorus. We added guitars to increase the funk. This is the foundation on which the song was formed. Layers of synth and keys were added later-on by Finlay along with the big "la la" refrain at the end.

Some lyrics from “Pearl” read, “I know I’m gonna end up living on my own down by the southside, holding onto no one for the long rides, knowing I’ll be waiting for a long, long time.” I thought this song was very soft and beautiful. Lyrically, what is the meaning behind the song? What do you want people to take away?

This song dwells on feelings of detachment and homesickness, and the rare feeling of reconnecting with someone that feels like home. This song feels rather bittersweet and perhaps it would be nice for people to take it as a reminder to cherish their relationships and nourish these connections with people.

Is there a special moment that stands out from creating and recording the new album?

Recording the live orchestration for this album was a truly special experience. The players added layers of beauty to these tracks, and it took things to a level we hadn't yet explored as a band.  

Has the ethos of the band changed since its creation? Especially through forming the band, during COVID, and re-finding footing over the last few years of that period, do you find that the message and heart of the band are the same? If not, how has that changed?

The ethos has definitely become much more studio focused. In our early years, we didn't really know how to be in a band and probably had the wrong attitude, but we've learned from those mistakes. But we've found that the biggest reward from being in a band is writing songs and making albums, and it's probably the thing that progresses us more than anything. We've always written from an honest place and been outspoken when we feel up to it. We try to stand up for what we believe in.

What is the message you want to spread as a band?

We think the main message is telling stories from our lives in as frank but engaging ways as possible, and then hoping that people can take things from it and relate it to themselves. If this is at all useful or helpful, then we're pleased.

Follow Walt Disco on Spotify, Instagram, and their website. Listen to their newest singles off their forthcoming album here. 

(Photo credit: Izzy Leach)