Wilderado

A rousing combo from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wilderado's expansive indie rock fuses soaring vocals and rumbling guitars with an open-road, Americana-inspired feel. Sounding rollicking but laid-back with an imaginative melodic sense, Wilderado spent the latter part of the 2010s building a sizable fan base through heavy touring and a series of EPs and singles which were streamed into the millions. In 2021 the group issued their eponymous debut album, and they collaborated with Matt Berninger of the National for their 2023 single "In Between."

Co-songwriters Max Rainer (vocals, guitar) and Tyler Wimpee (vocals, guitar) began working together in college, initially using the name Bird Dog. By 2016, the band also included bassist Colton Dearing and drummer Justin Kila and the quartet, now called Wilderado, released their debut EP, Misty Shrub. A second EP, Latigo, appeared later that year and notched millions of streams online, raising the band's profile significantly. Their newfound popularity soon gained them tour support slots for Band of Horses, Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie, and Judah & the Lion, and Wilderado spent much of 2017 releasing a series of singles to similar success. Produced by Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty), their third EP, Favors, appeared in 2018 and was later released in an acoustic version. Wilderado continued to tour on both sides of the Atlantic, returning in 2019 with the single "Surefire." Three more singles, "Take Some Time," "Revenant," and "CFS," arrived in 2020, and in 2021 the group released "Mr. Major," the first single from their eponymous full-length debut, which was issued later that October. After releasing "Head Right" and "Surefire" as singles (the latter in five alternate versions), in April 2023 the group released Wilderado Live, compiled from concert appearances from across the United States and United Kingdom. In August 2023, Wilderado delivered another single, "In Between," recorded in collaboration with Matt Berninger of the National; they also offered an alternate version featuring singer and songwriter Ken Pomeroy. ~ Timothy Monger