Five Fast Facts with walkmanbaby on His Influence, Upbringing, and New Single, “Anything At All”
- Grace Reynoso
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
walkmanbaby is an eclectic pop artist whose music blends a variety of genres. Drawing inspiration from acts like The 1975 and Bleachers, walkmanbaby brings a sound to Jersey that is just as pop as it is immersive. His knack for music stemmed from an early age, participating in marching band and jazz band in school, which walkmanbaby credits as contributing to his current sound. He releases original music across streaming platforms and performs live across various stages. He just released "Anything At All" with an infectious build that will make you want to replay it all day long. We sat down with walkmanbaby to discuss his latest single and musical journey.
GR: What was your earliest musical memory, and has it contributed to your sound?
WB: Music has always been a huge part of my life, even from when I was super young, like CD player in the crib type stuff, but I don’t really remember much of it, not gonna lie, my parents just retell the stories. My earliest musical memory probably has to be buying “Guavaberry” by Juan Luis Guerra on my Mom’s iPod, probably in 2006. I think the core principles and musicianship behind a lot of Latin/Bachata music do inspire me to this day for sure. Every phrase kind of sounds like something new, and that’s the level of energy and excitement I hope to put into my own music.
GR: How would you categorize your sound? I feel like it encapsulates a few different genres.
WB: I feel like I never really know how to answer this question. To me, the sound is always tied to a visual in my head. “Floored” is the score to someone crouched behind a street corner, hiding from their “friends” on a night out and coming to a realization about how shitty their life is or something. “Shut It Down” is street lamps, cold weather, and warm lights. If I can visualize an image or scene or a theme that excites me, I can put music to it. Now, the music that comes out of this can be a toss-up. Sometimes it's 80s Pop, sometimes it’s Post-Hardcore, sometimes it's electronic. I just tell people we make “alternative music”. The bands or artists I adore the most never really stick to a mold, THEY are the sound.
GR: With your song “Anything At All,” there is such a great build, especially with the saxophone and other instrumentation. What was your inspiration for the production of this song?
WB: Sebastian and I have had this discussion before, and I feel like it's kind of “Songs About Jane” era Maroon 5 swing feel rhythmically with a “coming-of-age” movie kind of production. People tell me it reminds them of The 1975, which was the obvious influence, too. So yeah, maybe like R&B, The Hold Steady, Purity Ring, or anything with a lot of reverb and then saxophone vibes.
GR: Do you songwrite before or after the production is laid out?
WB: I feel it really depends on the song. For “Floored,” we songwrote within rehearsal, brought it into the studio, and then I did the final production afterward. For “Slowburn,” the production/sound design was the main focus, so I was really writing and producing at the same time. This new song I have, “Never Had A Slowdance”, there’s an established Bridge, Chorus, and Outro, but no verses yet, and the production is not done - sometimes it’s really, really wacky and out of order.
A lot of the time, though, interesting production/sound design gives me a base to go off and sets the mood for what I want to create.
GR: I know you have recorded in some studios lately. Do you prefer the bedroom or studio setup to record?
WB: I feel like bedroom if I'm in a super isolated location and can crank my shit as loud as I want. I also like the idea of being confined to your plug-ins + virtual instruments/audio interface as the focus is more on creating with what you’ve got vs chasing the craziest piece of gear or compressor or whatever. Being in the studio, it’s always a limited amount of time to work, and you gotta be ON IT / have a plan, I kinda like that pressure sometimes, but yeah, it’s just different spaces for different vibes. If I'm at home, it’s to cook up, if I’m in the studio, it’s to record / track stems with the rest of the guys, but generally, I make my best stuff at home.
GR: What is one song you wish walkmanbaby wrote?
WB: I can’t pick one: “Body’s in Trouble” by Mary Margaret O’Hara, “The Dreamer” by Immanuel Wilkins, and “A Change Of Heart” by The 1975.
GR: What’s next for walkmanbaby?
WB: Finishing up our debut album, we’re working with some new musicians for our live show, and I also want to do more videos / visual content. I want to score someone’s movie or produce someone’s album, so hit me up if you fw the vision.
GR: Thank you, walkmanbaby, for speaking with us. Best of luck on all of your future endeavours!
WB: Appreciate y’all for having me on that’s love.
Stream "Anything At All" below!
Credits:
Instruments, Production, Engineer: Brandon Reynoso