Wallace's Favourite Colours

Photo by Nick George

You might have seen Wellington-based talent Wallace touring alongside the likes of Winston Surfshirt, Rag ‘N’Bone Man, Ngaiire, The Kite String Tangle, Morcheeba, Little Simz, Kllo, working alongside Thundamentals or Sampa The Great, as well as playing to crowds at festivals Listen Out Festival, Lost Paradise, St Kilda Fest, Hills Are Alive & BIGSOUND. But today the stage lights are centered on the young soul, hip-hop and pop artist as she unveils her debut album And Other Colours. 

With a warm rasp, Wallace’s jazz tinged vocals narrate us through a myriad of emotions that are backed with intricate toe-tapping beats, infectiously groovy bass lines, waves of synths, and a touch of well placed brass. The singer-songwriter sharing that “Wallace + Other Colours is a love letter to my favourite hues, linking my very visual way of moving through the world with the abstract, sonic space I love. I like to think of this album as a colourful glimpse into my mind. I’ve collaborated with an eclectic mix of producers for this project so it takes you on a bit of a ride through all corners of my brain.” 

Coming in at an impressive 13-tracks, we get to learn a bit more about Wallace as the LP unfolds, the young talent’s sincerity and raw emotion shining through as she opens up on her personal life and feelings. She confesses “In the past I’ve shied away from being too vulnerable in my song writing, choosing to hide behind stories so there’s a bit of distance. Recently though I’ve been breaking down those walls a bit and realising how cathartic it is to express myself and tell my own stories. Songs like Orchid Care, Every Stroke and Jane Doe are very personal, dealing with loss, anxiety and love.” 

But just like all things in life, there’s a gentle balance of the very real and sometimes quite sad moments, to the uplifting feel-good moments. A balance which has beautifully captured on the tracklisting of And Other Colours, Wallace sharing that “On the flip side though there’s still some playful songs like my nostalgic bop Arcade Queen, Ok, Ok What’s Next? My nod to The West Wing (one of my comfort shows) and Tickled Pink, my elevator diss track.” 

Be sure to hit play on And Other Colours below, as you take a read behind Wallace unpacking her emotions of loss, love, and anxiety that went into the making of the LP. 

LOSS

Every Stroke is very special to me, after my Granddad passed a few years ago I found myself processing my grief by writing about our shared love of the water. Even though it is about loss I really wanted it to reflect the joyful, cheeky man he was and celebrate that. I do tend to get a bit choked up everytime I sing the line “Titahi Bay won’t be the same” though. 

LOVE 

I have a few songs about love on the album. I’m an introvert and generally quite private, even with friends and family but lately I’ve been trying to let people in a bit more, expressing myself rather than just pretending I’m ok. Orchid Care is all about terrible timing and the intense romance of unfinished relationships. It talks about longing and the sadness that comes with that.

ANXIETY

Jane Doe is another one that deals with what goes on inside my head. The track is essentially me hyping myself up, I tend to get in my own way a lot and am very pessimistic as a person. This is my internal anthem when bad thoughts start to creep in and my anxiety takes over. 

Wallace’s debut LP And Other Colours is out now.

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