Made up of artists Merpire and Feelds, earlier this month Melbourne group Wilson's Prom dropped their debut, self-titled EP.
A world within a high school dream-state of teenage love and hopeful hopelessness, the pair have co-written, produced and mixed the six-track EP during isolation.The EP also features four drummers: Zack Levine (Pinegrove) 'Manifest Protagonist'; Liam Gough (The Teskey Brothers) 'Small Disaster'; Jess Ellwood (Merpire, Alex Lahey) 'Shapeshifter' and 'Welcome To The Prom'; and Jarred Young (Bad Pony, Feelds) 'Love Fool'.
Given the EP is based on a prom in the 1950s, Wilson's Prom have decided to share a listicle of songs to slow dance to. How cute.
Tears For Fears - 'Head Over Heels'
I'm a sucker for a love song that has some danger and desperation to it. I've got butterflies just imagining that 'crushing' feeling affecting someone who doesn't know it yet.I imagine one of the characters from our prom EP slowly making their way over to their crush, eyes burning into the nape of their neck while their back is turned, with this song playing in the background, filling them with courage and indescribable fear at the same time. - Merpire
Santo and Johnny - 'Sleep Walk'
This one is for the swooners, and the love/ spiked punch-drunk wallflowers. This one feels like an end-of-the-night tune, when many prom goers have stumbled home. The taffeta is starting to fall down and the balloons are losing their air, making their way to the floor.As you can tell by now, we're very visual when it comes to making music.
This song has been a strong influence in its simplicity and the lo-fi magic you get from the first note. If you listen carefully to the last song on our EP, 'Shapeshifter', there's a nod to one of the main melody lines of the slide guitar in this song.
This song also influenced our decision to use slide guitar for that outro guitar solo. The unpredictability and imprecision in the way James plays the solo is the final emotional outburst of the characters' story that we feel was best said without words. - Merpire & Feelds
Pinegrove - 'Old Friends'
Probably one of our faves of all time, but besides that, it's been a big influence on setting a scene for us.This would be the prom song for a bunch of pals going together rather than as couples. When it comes on, they'd jump around arm in arm in the middle of the floor singing along to every word and pissing off the couples.
The way everything flows around the story helps accentuate the importance and urgency of the lyricism, and somehow this song immediately takes you into the narrator's world and makes you feel it.
Also, Zack from the band played drums on our single 'Manifest Protagonist' – what a dream! - Feelds
Kevin Krauter - 'Pretty Boy'
This song had us instantly captivated when we first heard it: "Pretty boy I wanna see you dance, dance away."We imagine this is how one of our characters, Bobby, feels when seeing The Jock at Wilson's Prom – a secret infatuation of a story you can find in our song 'Small Disaster'. - Feelds
Timber Timbre - 'Hot Dreams'
This is another one for the swooners. Whether their wallflowers or long-term partners in teenage years, the sad and hopeful love is there.Also, this song has the best outro I've ever heard in my life. Those horns! - Merpire
"We've actually made a playlist that people can follow on Spotify," Wilson's Prom says.
"Hopefully it inspires you to get ready for the prom with us – crank it in your bedroom while you crimp your hair, or in the backseat of the Valiant as your older sibling drives you and your over-excited friends to the school hall."
