NATE WYLZ & SOUNDZ is an LA based multi-genre band that released their first album VISIONZ on Dec 8, 2018. The album is responsible for successful radio singles like “Remember The Future” and “Don’t Feel Bad.” Their style is unique and one of a kind, and the lead singer is more gorgeous than Elvis and Mick Jagger, and that is enough to sell records itself.
VISIONZ is a hidden masterpiece of an album, with a blend of genres that makes it impossible to know what to expect from the next track. One track may be a blend of Hip Hop and reggae, while the next song could be a screaming thrash metal, or a punk rock tune. They even delve into blues, jazz, pop and alternative as well, all wrapped in this unique, psychedelic and profound sound. Wylz’s poetry is deep, intelligent, philosophical and expressive. His voice is soft, yet harsh ..unique and driven by tone.
This 9/10 album is just the start, and we will definitely be seeing more of them soon.
With Nate Wylz fronting the band with his intellect, good looks, and one of a kind talent, there seems to be no limit to their potential. The highlights of VISIONZ are “Remember The Future”, “Don’t Feel Bad”, “Methodical Abrasions”, “Fellationship”, “Black” and “Voodoo Australia.” The themes the album explores are incredibly profound, as though Wylz is attempting to enlighten us with his music and lyrics. The album has one song flowing seamlessly into another, gifting the world with an outstanding debut album that seems to have a song for anyone, no matter their taste. And is just as great as some of the greatest debut albums of all time.
VISIONZ opens with Remember The Future, a Reggae/Rock instrumental with Hip Hop style vocals and one hell of a catchy chorus. When I read the lyrics, I was blown away by the complexity. Wylz covered so many topics and themes in a song barely four minutes long. Stands against some of the best lyrics of all time, enough to make Dylan turn his head and think. The second track is an alternative rock track reminiscent of the 90s. Then with the third track polishing that alternative sound with lyrics of love and loss. It’s just as painful as it is compelling.
The fourth track has an element of classical with a pop/rock atmosphere to surround the dark lyrics about a murderer having to live with taking a life.
The music is pretty, but the music is dark a perfect yin-yang. The fifth track starts out almost genre defying as it overcomes you with darkness, with philosophically profound lyrics that show off the songwriting talent of Nate Wylz.
But after the first minute of this terrifyingly dark, slow track, the song speeds up with a bass line that’ll get stuck in your head, with lyrics spit out one after another, seeming as though they have no end, lyrics that again highlight the poetry of the album, ending the song in a slow, classical section with cries of loneliness. The sixth track kicks it up with a punk/hard rock number about sex. With another great bass line and a riff that will stick in your head, the lyrics are darkly hilarious. I feel sorry for whoever that song is about. You know they always say not to break a musician’s heart, right? This is probably why. But then again, it’s just a song. It could be about no one, just punk rock!
Then the seventh track begins, a post-punk track reminiscent of the 80s Post-Punk scene. A song about drug addiction and enlightenment of the mind. It’s a dark song, as are most of the songs on the album, and is one of the better tracks on the album. The eighth song is a dance number, a pop song, and it addresses the transcendent effects of psychedelic substances, and what that can mean for the conscious being experiencing it.
At least that’s what it sounds like to me with lyrics like, “We will transcend all of the divine, and hitch another ride.” The ninth song is both silly and deep. And offers one of the catchiest riffs and solos on the whole album. The guitar solo was catchy enough to get stuck in your head. I know it got stuck in mine. The tenth song is a weird one, Blurp, and its title speaks for itself. It’s full of weird noises, whines, and lyrics that seem to contradict the goofiness of the music that surrounds them. Truly a weird one.
Nate Wylz definitely has a style, and it screams “Notice Me!” in this track.
Then with the eleventh track, the band slows things down and puts you in a trance. You can just close your eyes and drift into the experience. The twelfth song on the album is my favorite. A psychedelic blues/rock song with incredibly visual lyrics that is like the equivalent of looking at a painting, each line in the song acting as the stroke of a paintbrush that paints a canvas in your mind.
The guitar work is wonderful and a joy to listen to. This song alone increases the quality of the entire album for me, and is the reason I’m writing this review. The last song sounds as though someone is spinning a record backward. It’s psychedelic, has a guitar solo that plays over what sounds like the same solo, or a similar one, played backwards and the lyrics are abstract and full of characters and story. When I finished the album, I was left wanting more. I couldn’t get enough. I also knew I had to see this band live. So I did.
They were touring across the US in, I believe, 2020, or 2019. I caught them in Sacramento, CA, and the performance stood against all of the best I’ve ever seen. Wylz seemed to feed the crowd his energy as he jumped around the stage, played solos with his teeth and his tongue, destroyed his guitar, joked around between songs, and ended the show with a song I have not heard from their releases. this was long, but it was an incredible experience that was surrounded by passion, and really impacted the audience on a profound, emotional level.
It wasn’t just a concert.
It was an experience of bonding, with other humans, art, the universe, the band and ourselves. I had never seen a show quite like that before, and I doubt I’ll ever see one again. The girls in the audience were screaming, the men were headbanging and jumping around, the audience was so engaged. I will never forget that show. Though I give VISIONZ a 9/10, the band itself is a perfect 10. There is something so captivating about the expressive, talented, passionate and almost “too beautiful” Nate Wylz. I have no doubt in this band, and with their new album TRANSCENDENTAL HALLUCINATIONZ coming out June 13th, 2022, I’m sure they will bring the music to another level. I highly recommend this band, and look forward to seeing what they do next. Who knows, maybe I’ll review their next album as well.
- NATE WYLZ & SOUNDZ (band) – 10/10
- VISIONZ (Album) 9/10
- BAZEMENT SOUNDZ (Collection of raw demoz and unreleased trackz) 8/10
- LIVE CONCERT – 10/10
- TOTAL RATING – 9.25 – HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Written by Rebecca Warren
