Wilderado Comes Home Again on ‘Talker’
The Oklahoma indie folk rockers are set to release their second studio album, which is layered with Americana sound
In my search for new bands and music, I always come back to certain artists. Wilderado is one of them. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, rockers are releasing their second studio album, Talker, on Friday, and the record greets me like an old friend: warmly and with intimate affection, as though no time has passed.
I’ve covered Wilderado plenty this past year, especially around their Lollapalooza performances last month. But they’re a prime example of a band that has progressively moved up the industry ladder, but staying humble and true to their roots along the way. Wilderado maintains a calming, yet upbeat folk-rock sound, melding punk influences with singer-songwriter ballads.
The band pulls the same energy forward as The Brazen Youth and Peach Pit, but layers it with a blanket of folk reminiscent of The Avett Brothers and Mt. Joy. With Talker, Wilderado leans into a softer Americana-inspired sound. It’s an album that feels like home, which frontman Max Rainer said was the goal, and that it “weathers who we are.”
Produced by Chad Copelin (Sufjan Stevens, SYML) and James McAllister (Gracie Abrams, The National), the band recorded Talker in Norman, Oklahoma, and are releasing it via Bright Antenna Records.
For the past year, Wilderado has been playing a handful of new songs live, including Talker, Bad Luck, In Between and Sometimes. And because I see the band anytime they’re in town, listening to the album in full felt familiar, comfortable. I already know every word to these songs, but even on first listen they’ll feel homey to you.
In an age when musicians have to release up to five singles before releasing a full-length album, it’s easy not to dive into an entire record once it’s out. But Wilderado maintains a cohesive approach to the album as a single entity. Each song holds its own and adds to the larger picture—which paints a portrait of the band’s lives, families and values.
The album kicks off with a song under the same title as the album, Talker. It’s an introduction to who Rainer and the rest of the band are as people—they’re not big talkers but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot to say. It sets up the rest of the record as a confession of sorts.
In Coming To Town, Rainer sings of coming home and finding people treat him as they always have—that no matter what happens, people back home always see the real you, even under the mask of success.
I’m coming to town / Where they know me / Where they see right through me
And on Longstanding Misunderstanding, lists build up of misunderstandings, missed calls, days risked and idle years going by. But whittle it all down, and Rainer sings of just wanting his loved one home. It could all be that simple.
Talker lulls listeners through seasons of change. There’s no right way to navigate it but wherever and whatever you call home, it never forgets you. It’s an album full of tenderness, heart and introspective lyricism that ponders familial relationships and mental health.
Wilderado are slated to tour throughout October in support of Talker, ending in their hometown on Oct. 26.
Start with Wilderado’s song In Between off their upcoming album Talker. It’s a smooth, easy-going Americana tune, and the band recorded various versions of the single with artists including Ken Pomeroy and The National’s Matt Beringer.
Pay attention to how the acoustic guitar drives the pace of the tune, defining the band’s southern roots.
Kendall Polidori is The Rockhound, Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram and X @rockhoundlb, TikTok @rockhoundkp
