Wahl - Splitting Together
By now you’ll know that the pandemic has hit artists hard, and this is most true for bands in particular. Solo artists can continue to work alone and adapt to their new circumstances, but how does a band carry on working together when they can’t even be in the same room? Wahl found a way, despite not seeing each other since March 2020. Now they have a new single out entitled ‘Split’.
Wahl - Kayleigh Cheer and Rachel Still. Image Credits: Adam Cheer and Rachel Still.
One of the most extensive pieces Moths and Giraffes has published so far has been about Wahl, a duo featuring songwriter/producer/musician Rachel Still and rhythm scientist/session musician/all-round legend Kayleigh Cheer. Published in June 2020, we detail Wahl’s journey from their early singles in ‘Walk Away’ and ‘Heaven Knows’, to their album released in two parts entitled ‘Exit’. This spawned further singles in ‘Always Gonna Be This Way’, ‘San Jose’ and ‘Eye Of The Storm’. Our piece also includes an extensive interview and is the place to read about their career up to that point.
Since last summer, Wahl have continued bouncing demos back and forth with each other, working on ideas for potential future releases. In October, they began releasing a series of covers starting with Circa Waves’ ‘Something More’. Each cover was recorded in isolation, in Rachel and Kayleigh’s own spaces and entirely self-produced. Rachel also created music videos for each one, a fine demonstration of how being an independent musician is a multi-disciplinary affair.
Kayleigh Cheer. Photo by Adam Cheer, Artwork by Rachel Still.
Their covers continued through and beyond the new year with Big Thief, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Death Cab For Cutie, Christine & The Queens and Bleachers. In June, Wahl would release their first original music for a year in their single ‘Split’.
Having already enjoyed plays on BBC Introducing Solent prior to its release, Split has become one of my favourite Wahl singles so far. An atmospheric synth leads to multiple arpeggiated keyboards while another synth plays accented parts with clicking drumsticks preceding Rachel’s first verse:
‘I’ve been feeling that I lost my way, drowning in each move that I make, give me a chance, give me a break…’
Wahl’s early sound, highly driven by guitar is nowhere to be seen in this new era of the band, until we get to the pre-chorus; ‘Do you know? It’s not like you’ve been here before, how do you know when your heart’s not in it?’ Some brilliant drumming from Kayleigh Cheer follows the chorus, her diverse tom work has embellished much of Wahl’s output as it does here. Her insistence at deviating from the norm in her playing is one of the reasons why this duo make such interesting music together.
Rachel Still. Image Credit: Rachel Still.
Rachel Still’s production on Wahl’s music is something not to be underestimated, especially on Split as the duo really received no outside assistance aside from Mike Hillier’s mastering work. This single builds layer upon layer, and recording that is one thing, but creating the mix Rachel has here is another level entirely. I urge you to listen to it in headphones, and then when you’ve done that, listen to it on loudspeakers. The subtleties jump out in the closeness of the personal sound, but that same mix is also breathtaking in its power and urgency when it fills a room. Perhaps one day soon, I’ll hear it in the flesh.
In a first for Moths and Giraffes, we conducted a live interview on Wahl’s Instagram page a week after Split’s release. We discuss the recording logistics of the single, the duo’s songwriting process, their recent creative interpretations of other artists’ music, and much more. Watch the playback of the entire interview below, including a demonstration of my own Wi-Fi limitations.
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Purchase ‘Split’ and some of Wahl’s previous music on their Bandcamp page. All of their original music is available to download and stream in all the usual places.
Wear Wahl the merch. Click here to browse Wahl’s selection of long-sleeved shirts and caps.
Get involved with Wahl’s Spotify playlist ‘Sharing Is Caring and Caring Is Sharing’. Listen to Wahl’s selection of music, and add some of your own!
Follow Wahl on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @wahlmusic.
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