Words By: Bre Offenberger

Up-and-coming indie rock outfit Wilder. have released their debut single, “Oh No,” with an accompanying video in celebration of signing with Rude Records. The serotonin-boosting track is everything you need and more.

The track finds a toned-down frontman Stephen Ramos lamenting about how he doesn’t want to see his ex or remember a single thing about them ever again. Wavy guitar strums that resemble the feeling of sticking your toes in the sand for the first time streak across the surface, adding a flair to Ramos’ angst. A round of drums come to life before Ramos completely breaks free, putting his entire chest into his shouts of confidence that he doesn’t yearn for anything else anymore — because he has everything he needs within his grasp right now.

The lively guitars and exuberant don’t falter at all, even as Ramos enters the third verse, where he continues his rant but gradually comes to a realization: yes, he wants to get away and forget everything, but he also misses his ex for some unknown reason. It becomes even more apparent the more the track continues that this could be straight off a Wallows record, especially in the bridge, as the bass protrudes before exploding again into a guitar-driven euphoria. Despite his indecisiveness, Ramos concludes by saying he is utterly satisfied with his life — and it’s smooth sailing from here.

The video opens with Ramos singing right into the camera before backing up to reveal bandmate Nick Sturz staring into space. Ramos puts his guitar strap around his neck and meets Sturz over at a mini stage across the room, where Sturz smacks his drums that cues pure electricity flying around the room. The two move over to a pair of chairs, and Sturz blows bubbles as Ramos continues his spiel. They walk over to a new stage, and this time, confetti falls over them as they put their heart and soul into their respective instruments. After Ramos puts himself through a tube, they deliver one more chorus before Ramos sits down, eats a piece of cake and basks in the moment.

Of the single, the band shares: “Sometimes a fresh start is really what you need. ‘Oh No’ really embodies the path to how Wilder. came to be. Like our other songs, it has colorful, bright instrumentals that mask very honest, vulnerable lyrics, like ‘I got what I want/I still feel kinda lost.’ This is just a small insight to an internal struggle of starting something new, yet not really knowing the outcome of what this new endeavor will bring us. But man, we are stoked. Let’s get wild.”

Ramos and Sturz have been making music together for over a decade now, but with Wilder., they finally feel completely in their element. While we wait for more from the inevitable stars, keep streaming “Oh No” and dancing your heart out to it.