This week’s local artist is The Wans, with their latest single “Magical Touch.” This groovy rock track was released on Friday as the lead single off their forthcoming album. The anticipated Magical Touch record will be releasing this summer on July 26, 2023.
The Nashville-based band has been generating buzz for almost 11 years now since their debut self-titled EP dropped. Since then, The Wans have gone on to open for legendary artists such as Pearl Jam and Beck and the Black Lips; as well as being featuring in numerous TV shows including ABC’s Nashville.
The four-piece band consists of vocalist Simon Kerr, drummer Noah Denney, guitarist Akshay Narang, and bassist Thomas Bragg. Influenced by Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age, frontman Simon Kerr found inspiration in 80s and 90s rock music at an early age. The singer developed his passion for music by learning to write songs with his father, who was also a touring artist. The family originally lived in Ireland before moving to Nashville in the late 1990s. Since Kerr was sixteen, his father has essentially become his songwriting partner.
“Magical Touch” begins with a gritty rhythmic bass riff and backbeat, accentuated by an 80-style synth melody crafted by Narang. Lyrically, Kerr found inspiration for the song in the 1958 movie Bell, Book, and Candle. His smooth vocals tell the tale of a love spell he is under, similar to the plot of the movie. The track was written by him and his father, stating that “Lyrically, the chorus came out of me exactly like you hear it on the record, I didn’t know what was coming out of my mouth as it happened….Sometimes you have to have your antenna up to catch whatever songs are floating around you. That’s why I think songwriting is magic”.
Be sure to keep up with The Wans via their website here. Their next live show is coming up on April 7th at The Basement, and its one you won’t wanna miss. Tune in to hear “Magical Touch” below and stay tuned for the rest of the album this summer!
Tune in to 100.1 FM and lightning100.com all week to hear “Magical Touch” by The Wans, our Frothy Monkey Local Artist of the Week!
