Rising new wave, alt-rock band, The Wrecks, have hit the road on the INSIDE : OUTSIDE Tour across North America. Following the release of a new project, INSIDE :, featuring six new songs, The Wrecks are made up of Nick Anderson (vocals), Nick “Schmizz” Schmidt (guitar), Aaron Kelly (bass) and Billy Nally (drums). Together, they have created a unique and cohesive new world and perspective for their sound to stem from. The four piece band is known for some of the most fun and energetic concerts on the road right now. Making their stop in Madison, Wisconsin at the historic Majestic Theatre earned them a sold out show months in advance with support from Quarters of Change and Benjamin Carter.
In preparation for this review, the history of The Wrecks is pretty unique, and necessary to understand their current standing and huge growth. Originally, the success of their first extended play We Are The Wrecks, got lots of initial radio play on “Favorite Liar,” back in 2017. Their first release received so much love, in fact, that Nothing But Thieves invited them out to open for them on a summer and fall tour. Since then, the rise has been non-stop for The Wrecks. In 2018, their Panic Vertigo EP was praised for taking the energy and storytelling up a notch with tracks like “James Dean” and “Revolution.” Their shorter releases continued to make their sound highly digestible. On Infinitely Ordinary, their debut album, the focus in storytelling was another notch on their belt. Tracks like “Freaking Out,” “Fvck Somebody” and “Out of Style” are still quintessential to their live shows, making regular appearances. Lead singer and lyricist, Nick Anderson, writes songs not only for The Wrecks, but multiple other musicians; his style is extremely recognizable. Infinitely Ordinary and Sonder, their sophomore album, are both moodier and focus on relationships, interpersonal connections while still touching on internal, mental battles.
This is where their newest project takes a turn for the band and their world building, it's visually very intriguing, the album art featuring the band up close and personal; nearly overlapping on each other. The lead singles “Speed” and “Always, Everytime” were met with their accompanying music videos. Anderson led the front on creating the set used in the music videos and this tour’s stage design. Filled with fake grass, piles of laundry and clothing lines related to the music’s themes of self-isolation, feeling locked inside one’s own house, or maybe their own mind.
In Madison, opening the night was Benjamin Carter, with his star power combined with powerful vocals, he shined bright upon the crowd. His detailed and unique outfits he wears makes him really memorable. After his first three explosive and upbeat songs, he definitely won over the crowd’s engagement. Eventually, he revealed to the crowd that this is his first ever tour, which surprised me considering his ease to connect with the fans from the front to the back of the venue.
Photos from 5/4/2025 by Anna Oleniczak / @anngraceyphoto
Next up was the alt-rock band Quarters of Change, led by vocalist Ben Rotter, guitarists and bassists Ben Acker and Jasper Harris, and drummer Attila Anrather. Their band has grown significantly since the start of the garage style cover band that formed out of high school friendships. Their moody demeanor gives off the “cool guy” vibes that fits in super well with The Wrecks crowd. One of their highlights was their song “Kiwi,” which had a majority of this room singing along or, at least, swaying along; its a super vibey track. These four guys recently released a new album at the beginning of 2024, Portraits, the 11-track run is packed full with sick beats and deep cuts.
Photos from 5/4/2025 by Anna Oleniczak @annagraceyphoto
The Wrecks concert setlists are carefully planned to bring the highest amounts of energy right off the jump. Starting with the title track off of Sonder, the crowd was immediately pointing up at the artist as the drum beats and lights synced up when the first lyrics started. Opening with this track is very intentional to get everyone comfortable with singing-along, dancing and enjoying themselves thoroughly. This decision made the room explode with energy, The Wrecks have so many dedicated fans; they’re definitely not the casual type. So, from the front row, everyone was singing back every single word.
Leading into “Out of Style,” off of Infinitely Ordinary, this song brought the summery California-core vibes to the stage. It’s a super cheeky track, a nod to Anderson’s expert songwriting, featuring a killer guitar solo slash breakdown after the second chorus gives the crowd the energy they need to stay up and off their feet. That same energy is matched from the stage as well, from Billy Nally’s hard-hitting beats to Schmizz’s gnarly guitar solo carrying, these two tracks set The Wrecks up for success with the fans. Constantly leaning down into the crowd, at this intimate venue, getting right up close and personal with fans in the front row.
The first song to make its way to the setlist off the latest release was “Always, Everytime,” which starts off with a more chill, bass-forward intro, leading into an epic build into its chorus. Anderson certainly explores his higher range in the last half of this song, where he’s able to hit higher belts in a live setting than heard in his studio recordings; a truly talented performer.
Shortly after I made my way out of the GA pit, I was able to absorb the spirit that The Wrecks perform with. They leave everything on the stage, getting the crowd engaged is exactly their cup of tea, from side-stepping in synchronization during “Feels So Nice,” to taking fan requests for songs. From the front row, one of their biggest fans requested to hear a deep cut, “Revolution,” off their 2018 EP Panic Vertigo.
About midway through this set, The Wrecks played almost every track off their latest release, except “I Don’t Know” (although it has made appearances on other setlists on this tour), one of them was the first track on INSIDE :, “I Didn’t Use To.” This track has some of the most honest and affirming lyrics from Anderson, touching on his mental battles and reassuring himself of his capabilities. While in the chorus, he sings of how his brain makes him feel like he was “made wrong,” implying his diagnosis makes him inferior, but in the verses, he creates validation for himself. This juxtaposition in his lyric writing puts more of the focus on himself and his internal monologue instead of external relationships, as heard on previous work. This track is creeping towards the top of their discography and might be one of the strongest songs out in alt-rock right now.
“I am capable / I stand six feet high / I hold records in sports / My range is four octaves wide / I am capable / Yeah, I can do it myself / Every note, every frame, every pixel what else.”
"I Didn't Use To" also makes connections to another song on INSIDE :, “Speed,” where Anderson sings of how prescription medication meant to treat ADHD, the amphetamine also known as “speed.” The Wrecks whole vision for their newest project is highly cohesive and unique to their previous work.
The biggest highlight of the night was for their encore, the last song, “Favorite Liar,” has become a classic on their discography and in alt rock music as a whole. During the last verse, Anderson asks the crowd to split down the center as the final pre-chorus builds, running from the stage to the back of the crowd near the soundboard, he gets up close and personal with the fans in the GA area. When the final chorus kicks in, the crowd erupts into a full-on mosh pit, including the lead singer himself, creating an unforgettable fan interaction moment that this crowd is sure to not ever forget.
Since The Wrecks are constantly changing their live set, here’s the full setlist, for the sake of history.
Sonder
Out of Style
Always, Everytime
Why Can’t I Just Be Happy
Feels So Nice
This Life I have
Where Are You Now?
Normal
Revolution (fan request)
I Didn’t Use To
Milwaukee’s Best
Speed
Infinitely Ordinary
Freaking Out
Favorite Liar
The Wrecks are not slowing down, as the title of this tour implies, there seems to be more to come from them very soon. As their lead singer teased on The Lightweights Podcast, there will be a second half of this project releasing with even more new songs. Anderson admittedly also does a large amount of the production on all of his releases, in addition to holding down the lyrics. So, everything you hear from The Wrecks is hyper-original, made with love and passion.
If you haven’t yet, take yourself out to see the INSIDE : OUTSIDE Tour, as they complete this North American leg; grab tickets here. The Wrecks are close to being the next big thing, they have that it factor.
Don’t miss anything with The Wrecks! As there is surely more to come very soon, stay tuned on their social media to see everything that is coming up next for them.
