In Review: DWLLRS At Thalia Hall

Photo by Meriah Fearon

Though DWLLRS music may not always focus on the lightest of subject matters, all of their songs have an overwhelming feeling of warmth. They have this ability to write brutally honest songs like “You're Gonna Cry'' that hit you where it hurts but still manage to leave you with a feeling of comfort. I think that the band describes this idea best in their Spotify bio which says “the pain, the sorrow, the love, and the loss all amount to something that is greater than all of us, but that at the same time requires each and everyone of us to be a part of it in order for it to function. This is our part. This is DWLLRS.” 

DWLLRS is made up of two former college roommates, Bren and Joey. They've been releasing singles since early 2020 but have yet to release a full EP or album. However, this has not stopped them from gaining major traction on social media with songs like “Blue Spirits.” I first heard “Blue Spirits'' on Tik Tok last year, and soon after that I heard it again… and again… and again. Thankfully it’s a good song or I would’ve gotten sick of hearing it so much by now. The song now has 10 million streams on Spotify and it hasn’t even been out for a full year yet. With stats like this I’m excited to see how far they’ll grow once releasing their first full length project. 

DWLLRS are currency on tour with Claire Rosinkranz, and I had the privilege of being able to see their show at Thalia Hall last Saturday. I was only familiar with their music from what I had seen on Tik Tok, so before the show I hadn’t fully formed a strong opinion on the band. However, I can confidently say that I left the show a fan. DWLLRS was one of the opening bands of the night, but by the way they got the crowd moving and energized they could have easily been mistaken for the main act. You could tell that they were genuinely having a good time on stage, and that energy was infectious. I wish that they could have played for longer because their set felt way too short, and I think the rest of the crowd would also agree. One of my favorite songs that they played ended up being an unreleased song called “Driving.” I don't know when they plan on releasing this song, but I think it may end up being one of their best yet–so I would be on the lookout to hear that once it’s released.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see DWLLRS on some festival lineups like Lollapalooza this summer, so go follow them to stay up to date on any upcoming shows in the area. You can also listen to some of my top picks of their songs on our Tour Features playlist on Spotify. 

Photos by Meriah Fearon