Wall of Sound presents: “2022 YEAR IN REVIEW” – by The Comfort’s Dominic Harper
The Comfort had a very productive year! We started the year not sure what exactly it would entail (so did a lot of bands) and were genuinely unsure if COVID was going to stop us from releasing our music (yet again). However, in January we managed to meet up with our guitarist, Marcus (who lives in Melbourne) for the first time in over a year, record some music videos and really get rolling on our release plans. We did some touring, released a buuuunch of new music (New album Experience Everything. Live and Die available now via Greyscale Records!) and now we can look back on the year very proud of what we finally managed to achieve.
TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2022
5. Slowly Slowly – Daisy Chain
4. L.S. Dunes – Past Lives
3. The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language
2. Valleyheart – Heal My Head
1. Bartees Strange – Farm To Table
Number one album spot is headlined by Bartees Strange. I discovered Bartees Strange this year when Marcus’ partner found his song ‘Heavy Heart’ and they shared it with me. I instantly fell in love and I have had the record on repeat ever since. It’s a beautiful blend of Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop, midwest emo, Americana and to be honest, a million other things. It felt like Bartees is the only person who could possibly have made this record. It’s so intimate, while also being absolutely massive at the same time. Best songs: ‘Heavy Heart’, ‘Wretched’, ‘Mulholland Drive’, ‘Escape This Circus’.
It’s also worth talking about Valleyheart though! I first fell in love with Valleyheart with a song called ‘Kids from Calgary’ on an EP they put out back in 2017. Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength and on this new record, they definitely reach new heights. Best songs: ‘The Numbers’, ‘Heal My Head’, ‘Your Favorite Jacket’.
TOP 5 SONGS OF 2022
5. L.S. Dunes – ‘2022’
4. Harry Styles – ‘Satellite’
3. Valleyheart – ‘The Numbers’
2. The 1975 – ‘The 1975’
1. Bartees Strange – ‘Heavy Heart’
BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF 2022?
Bartees Strange – ‘Heavy Heart’
So I’m really championing Bartees Strange. I’m telling you, he is on a completely different level to the rest of the music world at the moment. This clip is really an extension of the piece, where it’s shot as a one-take as Bartees moves from room to room on a set. Nothing revolutionary about that, but it seems like it’s been filmed at double speed and then slowed down. As Bartees sings directly into the camera while everything moves slowly around him, you get a sense he has been taken out of the moment and becomes intrinsically focussed and reflective. It matches the lyrics and vibe of the song perfectly.
FAVOURITE GIG YOU PLAYED THIS YEAR
Waxflower – Brisbane
We had a nearly 3 year break from touring, so to be able to get out on the road again and jump back on the horse with our friends in Waxflower was really special. It was a little bit anxiety inducing personally, and felt like we weren’t sure if we’d remember how to perform our songs! To warm into it nicely in Sydney and Melbourne was great, but when we hit home in Brisbane and were greeted with all our friends, family and hometown fans, it really felt like a ‘oh yeah, we are back’ moment.
BIGGEST WTF OR WHOLESOME MOMENT FOR YOU/YOUR BAND
The night before the release of our album we hosted a live premiere of the record, like an open listening party, on the Greyscale Records YouTube channel. Liam and I filmed a bunch of extra content about the songs and we tried to make it really special for whoever would end up tuning in. Honestly, we expected maybe 15 people to be tuning in and not much interaction, but we clearly didn’t give enough credit to the people who love our music. We ended up with around 40-50 people consistently tuned in for the duration and everyone was interacting in the chat. We ended up having this lovely dialogue with some fans we know, along with some new ones that we hadn’t had much interaction with in the past. It really set our excitement up for our album and reminded us of the special connections that music can create between people.
ANY SNEAK PEEKS OF YOUR 2023 PLANS FOR FANS?
We will be heading out early next year for a small intimate headline run before some bigger shows later in the year. The intimate headline run will be very small venues and we expect tickets to go very quickly!
BEST ADVICE GOING INTO 2023
Love what you create, back it when nobody else will and put everything you have into your art. You will never regret trying too hard, only not trying hard enough.
Written by Dominic Harper @domharper
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