WALLICE Shares New Single 'Funeral' Ahead of New EP

LA-based musician Wallice shares her new single 'Funeral' today, the latest cut from her forthcoming EP, out this Friday May 6th via Dirty Hit. On the 90s American Superstar EP, Wallice envisions herself as a fictional celebrity idol, charting her own rise and fall across five tracks.

'Funeral' is the EP's closing track, and sees Wallice's protagonist craft a funny and slightly tragic tale in which she fantasises about her own memorial, a surrealist affair complete with her "casket in a muscle car." Wallice plans the event as if it were her last big rock show - "don't forget the camera crew" she begs.

"'Funeral' is a spin on the usual emotions and celebrations (or lack thereof) at a funeral- shifting the view to make it more like a concert. It's taking the EP's "larger than life" concept of being a celebrity (or at least trying to) and having this funeral be a massive party. I talk about having a pregame for the funeral, an open bar, a camera crew and rocking and rolling" says Wallice.

"This is my favourite song I've ever written. We tracked live trombone, saxophone, flute, trumpet, I played cello, and then my guitarist Callaghan Kevany recorded an insane guitar solo at the end. It's a marriage of my classical and jazz roots with the rock sound that I've grown into. I want people to dance to this song and have fun. Even though it's a song about death, I don't think it necessarily feels that way. Maybe we should shift the perspective of funerals to not be so sad."

The indie pop wunderkind has swiftly become one of Gen Z's most exciting new voices, known for her tongue-in-cheek, self-effacing anthems. The forthcoming EP opens with 'Little League', which is effectively our icon's origin story, shining a light on her cut-throat competitiveness which started in junior baseball. Previous single and title track '90s American Superstar' shows our character at the height of her fame, resenting her lacklustre musician partner with classic refrains like "stop being so damn dramatic, you just got dropped from Atlantic".

On 'Rich Wallice', she pines for her future cashed-up self, a wry take on the darker side of success; 'I just want more money, I just want more stuff'. The EP moves onto its big 'blowout' moment, 'John Wayne', on which our anti-hero's instability peaks. This is celebrity Wallice at her Tom-cruise-jumping-on Oprah's-sofa moment. The unravelling is captured perfectly via the raucous track, which was recorded live with a full band. With 'Funeral', the EP and its delusions come to a natural end.

The 90s American Superstar EP was written and recorded with friends at Wallice's Grandparents house in Southern Utah. On its concept, she comments; "The EP is a hypothetical look into the celebrity life that lots of musicians and the LA entertainment industry crowd seeks. It's fun to think about, "what if I was famous?" and how fame can change people. Especially since I grew up in LA- I love it here, but it's a strange place and it can feel like everyone is just looking for their big break.

To me, the EP plays with that perspective and the way people think about that dream. By exploring the idea of fame, I think the EP is a fun way of saying everyone is human. We all have aspirations, bad qualities and egos, but even if you're famous (which by the way- I'm not in any way), that doesn't make you better or worse than someone who isn't. I want people to have fun listening to this EP, and be inspired to make music that they want to listen to, not just what they think others want to hear."

After picking up her first instrument at age 6, Wallice started writing songs in middle school and later played in her high school band, inspired by the lyricism of Thom Yorke, Lana Del Rey and the punky irreverence of Weezer and No Doubt. She also modelled and acted (once appearing in an episode of Frasier) throughout adolescence, with her former actress mother supporting all creative pursuits.

A proud college dropout, she attended the New School in New York City for Jazz Vocal performance for a year before moving back to California and connecting with childhood friend marinelli, who helped her hone the wistful indie pop style that led to her rise. A breakout 2021 culminated in the release of her debut EP Off the Rails, her signing to Dirty Hit, her first sold-out headline shows and support tours. She has found champions in the likes of Vogue, New York Times, The FADER, BBC Radio 1, Pigeons & Planes, Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe and NME, where she was named as part of the 'NME 100' for 2022.

Watch the new music video here:

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