Wallice’s debut album, The Jester, is a delightful mixed bag of emotions and styles, all wrapped up in her signature wit. With 14 tracks of genre hopping goodness, she takes listeners on a journey through the ups and downs of young adulthood, laced with equal parts humour and vulnerability. It’s as if she’s managed to bottle the chaos of your 20s and put it all on a record.
The album kicks off with “The Opener,” an emotional nod to her time spent warming up crowds for bigger acts. Over layered acoustics and a slow build of instrumentation, Wallice paints a bittersweet picture of being overlooked yet fiercely dedicated. The cheeky lyric, “I’m just the opener, talk right over me,” lands with a sarcastic wink, yet there’s no mistaking the raw honesty underneath.
Each track has its own charm, from the grungy grit of “Sickness” to the twangy, introspective “Hurry Babe.” Wallice’s ability to blend heartfelt storytelling with sharp, self deprecating humour shines in “Clown Like Me,” where biting lyrics and raw vulnerability reflect the chaos of risky relationships. Meanwhile, “Look At Me” shifts gears with shimmering synths, offering a playful yet poignant commentary on attention seeking tendencies in an age of relentless self promotion.
By the time the album wraps with “Curtains To Close,” a stripped-back ode to letting go of pretense, you feel like you’ve lived a small lifetime with her. Wallice balances the chaos and charm of growing up with a breezy confidence that makes The Jester impossible to resist. It’s an album that invites you to laugh, cry, and dance your way through life’s messiness, all while reminding you not to take it too seriously.