Nearly four years after the release of their debut self-titled EP, Wayside’s Thomas Davenport and John Ehmer are gearing up for their first full-length LP Shine (On Me) with a series of singles. The third and latest single is “In a Place,” a post-punk reflection on encounters of personal growth and second chances. Sometimes you think that you want a second chance, and then you ask yourself questions and come to a new conclusion.
“As a whole the song is about growth and reflection but on the surface it’s about love,” explains Davenport. “I was thinking about a situation that was presented to me over twelve months ago and I wrote this maybe six or seven months after that just reflecting on how I felt about it and how that had changed in such a small space of time. Just through reflection and growing up and trying to break through beliefs that I thought were once true that I’ve grown to learn that they’re not.”
The years between Wayside and “In A Place” were spent merely growing up. Davenport stayed in Melbourne and worked a marketing job. Ehmer spent much of that time traveling throughout North and South America before returning to his electrician gig. Once the duo were on the same continent (and living a seven minute drive from each other), they got to work on their first album. “I’m glad we did wait to be honest because I think even in that short space of time, we grew as musicians in knowing what we wanted and I think we write better songs now than we did back then,” says Davenport.
The pair met in high school and bonded over their shared love for Blink-182, Green Day, and Limp Bizkit as they walked the same route home. Back then, Davenport had only recently picked up guitar, and Ehmer didn’t play any instruments. Since then, they have shared a guitar teacher and learned to play and write music. Today, Ehmer’s riffs inform much of their songwriting (the ongoing riff on “In a Place” is a perfect example).
“Shine (Onto Me)” was the first single since their debut EP in 2017, and is also the title track for their upcoming record. “For me it just felt like the obvious single, and a good song to re-announce ourselves with because we haven’t released music in three years before that. It felt like a good, well-balanced song to come back with,” says Davenport. That single was followed closely by “Cherophobia” and “In a Place.” We can also expect a fourth single release shortly before the full album drops on March third.
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