Oh hello again, welcome back to Wall of Sound's annual Year in Review series. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since we rolled out our reflective look at the COVID-controlling 2020... And now we have that light shining at the end of the tunnel, we're looking into the future and beyond with our new collection of bands, staff and special guest contributors taking part to tell us their fav releases from the year!
Kicking off the festivities this time around is Alpha Wolf lead guitarist Scottie Simpson... or should I say the ARIA Nominated Scottie Simpson who has had more than enough ups and downs following the pandemic's resurgence BUT the boys took control of their narrative and created new and exciting ways to keep in touch with their ever-growing fanbase over the course of the past two years. They've painstakingly planned (and rescheduled) a massive Aussie Tour to welcome us back with open arms before they continue with their main objective of world domination when the entire planet opens back up again...
Until then, here's what Scottie was frothing this year!
TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2021
5. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
4. Every Time I Die - Radical
3. Don Broco – Amazing Things
2. Holding Absence – The Greatest Mistake Of My Life
1. nothing,nowhere – Trauma Factory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErEZo38-VQ
TOP 5 SONGS OF 2021
5. PVRIS - 'Monster'
4. Limp Bizkit – 'Dad Vibes'
3. Finneas – 'A Concert 6 Months From Now'
2. Wage War - 'Manic'
1. Stand Atlantic feat. nothing,nowhere - 'deathwish'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB5yS1i72pk
BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF 2021?
Paledusk – 'Black Ice'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFtRXLiyg
LAST GIG YOU PLAYED BEFORE COVID HIT?
(not including April 2021) - March 14th 2020 – Joilet Illinois @ The Forge w/ Fit For A King, Chelsea Grin & Crystal Lake... 5 dates into our first USA tour :(
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3yNmngRp_/
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT RETURNING TO THE STAGE?
Excited, nervous, but very ready to get back to some state of ‘normal’. Alpha Wolf are ready to have our biggest and busiest year yet, and with restrictions finally easing, I’m slowly allowing myself to have some sort of hope that it will all actually go ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfDiG87Ikc
HOW DID YOU STAY BUSY THROUGHOUT THE PAST TWO YEARS?
We put out our sophomore record from our own lounge rooms in 2020, we launched the Alpha Wolf CVLT, where we spend a lot of time making content and hanging out with our biggest supporters, wrote a lot of new music, and played a lot of damn Warzone. It was hard for me to not beat myself up for not doing anything productive, but for my own mental health I just needed to keep busy throughout, and there were definitely still some rough times throughout 2021.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGONysLAck8/
BEST ADVICE GOING INTO 2022?
I think if anything the past 2 years has taught us is don’t take anything for granted, appreciate the moments while you’re in them, because you never know when they can get ripped away from you. And to work hard at something you love, get rid of that dead shit job that makes you hate yourself; it isn’t worth it.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2022?
Touring the world with my friends and getting back to world domination, and continue to make music im passionate about. We’re just getting started!
Written by the ARIA Nominated Scottie Simpson. Insta: @scottiesimpson
