I like Tilly and the Wall. I like the their sound, I like their attitude. Something about their music makes me nostalgic for my angsty preteen days when I wore an extremely age inappropriate Runaways t-shirt to school every other day and tried to dye half of my hair pink. I have since grown out this little wannabe punk phase (admittedly probably for the best), but this did not stop me from feeling tingly all over when I initially heard “Love Riot,” the first single off of Tilly and the Wall’s album Heavy Mood, set to be released in October.
This is music you have fun to, not only because of the energized style but because of the creativity that went into making it. Tilly and the Wall are already known for their somewhat unconventional take on percussion. The group has always known for featuring tap dancing rather than drumming in the percussion section, and “Love Riot” does not disappoint in this area. The group mixes it up a bit with this one, starting more conventionally with drums in the beginning of the song but later dissolving the percussion section into a series of clapping, stomping, and of course tapping. The energy becomes infectious, which is perhaps the resulting outpour after a few years of pent-up songwriting — the group’s last album was released in 2008. That being said, if “Love Riot” is any indication of the rest of the album, the group has been storing up something good.
With its screaming guitars, crazy tap dancing, and roaring vocals, there is a lot going on in “Love Riot.” So much so that it’s necessary to crank the song up to catch everything it has to offer. No biggie, though; as I turn up the volume on “Love Riot” and start screaming the lyrics around the house, I have a feeling Tilly and the Wall wouldn’t have it any other way.