wydown

"College students, take heed: Wydown is the perfect house band for your campuses during the next school year. Worldy without being weary, quirky without being cutesy, the quartet would make the Lou proud as an opener for Guster or Death Cab for Cutie. In fact, elements of both bands are clearly evident on Wydown's new CD, Noise of America — namely in the form of sad piano; earnest, wounded vocals; and midtempo riffs. At their recent Pageant gig, the bandmates' crisp dress shirts matched their professionalism, although shades of Ben Folds' playful melancholy ruled the night." | Annie Zaleski - The Riverfront Times

"Beat Happenings loves Wydown - and not just because of its Skinker-traffic-avoiding properties. The four rockers who make up this local indie quartet have Death Cab aspirations, but I daresay they've exceeded them. Their crisp, minor-chord breakdowns play like the Interpolian id of Ben Gibbard, while their eccentricities conjure everything from Queen to Radiohead."
| Kristyn Pomranz - The Riverfront Times

"Wydown's Message From the Yes Man is straight-up powerful, passionate, moody college rock, alternatively an amped-up Coldplay or a 'Muse-lite' balanced out with a little Costello and fraught with climactic wailing, intellectual posing and the requisite funky guitar and artful drum lick. Invoking sounds from the '70's through the '90's, the effect is strangely contemporary. The sweet, building harmonies and lush orchestration in “In a Sound” faintly recall bands like Queen or ELO. At other times, breathy, smooth strains of Ethan Balis' high-of-center vocals, such as on “Wasted Energy,” pay homage to Elbow and other independent rockers." | Matthew Carver - Metro.pop

"Chris Sutton, guitarist of local band Sofachrome, often comments on the fact that when grunge and pop replaced a lot of the metal bands in the '90's, there weren't as many good guitar solos in popular music anymore. This observation certainly applies to a lot of pop bands because they don't use a lot of lead guitar in their songs, but Wydown is an exception to the rule. If there's anything that can be said about Wydown, it's that they can really play their instruments. This four-piece mixes strong keyboard with great lead guitar to come up with an intelligent and pleasing sound that separates them from other radio-friendly pop bands. With their melodies and vocal arrangements, the songs are haunting enough to stick with the listener. It will be interesting to see what the group does in the future as they continue to play shows and refine their sound." | John Kujawski - Playback STL

"Newcomers Wydown waste no time proving their worth with this refreshing release. They show no naivety scrounging up the elements to produce an excellent album; featuring foremost a strong blend of instrumentation and musicality, coupled with agreeable vocals. Although short on tracks, this album confirms that by priority, quality precedes quantity." - KRTU Nocturnal Transmissions

"Bands with potential are wild cards. They can leap from whispers to the airwaves just as easily as they can fade away with few people noticing. This is the predicament presented by Wydown’s new album. Their songs are driven by energetic and catchy vocal melodies, but there is something atypical buried within the song structure."

"There are moments of spine-shuddering power in the vocals and guitar arrangements here. Intimate subjects are coupled solidly with moody guitar riffs, and the songs have a familiar but faithful build-up to them. But there are also lackluster lyrics, and the horns on “Plan On No Plan” make the track feel oddly out of place on an otherwise intriguing and catchy album. Wydown is, without a doubt, growing musically from their last album. If the trend continues, this could be the next band to sing you around town, complementing a wandering mind with a hopeful view on future potential." | Sean Rose - LEO Beat

"Wydown has released Message From the Yes Man, an impressive collection soon to be celebrated with a PlaybackSTL-sponsored release party. This EP boasts thrilling vocals, tight guitar riffs, crisp percussion, and unusually moving lyricism. Though not lacking in youthful enthusiasm and energy, the band has a highly developed sense of maturity in their music. In “Wasted Energy,” Wydown crafts perceptive observations on society. This complex song showcases their strong vocal talent and gifts for unique composition. With a talent for carrying their listeners through all manner of highs and lows, they give a series of stunning breakouts in opener “In a Sound.” That love of contrast is also distinguished in “Lost Child,” which has them singing across an impressively wide range. Self-described as an alt-indie-art rock band, their diverse stylings will appeal to anyone who appreciates innovative and thoughtful musicianship."| Laurel Schamp - Playback STL