From his early days as a founding member of Queens-based garage act The Beets to
his impressive solo career, Wauters has spent the better part of the last decade on the
road. When he wasn’t touring or recording, he was gathering material, traversing Latin
America to write his 2019 Spanish-language opus La Onda de Juan Pablo, then
heading North to collaborate with friends like Mac DeMarco, Homeshake, Nick Hakim
and more for 2021’s boisterous Real Life Situations. Apart from intermissions in his
home base of Jackson Heights, Queens, Wauters has been notoriously hard to pin
down.
Written mostly during this extended break from touring, the songs on Wandering Rebel
are candid reflections on subjects like career (“Wandering Rebel”), romantic
commitment (“Amor Amor”), mental health (“Nube Negra”) and the personal toll of
touring (“Let Loose”). Wauters’ lyrics have always had a refreshing sincerity, but he
seems to be at his most open on this record. “I’m looking to have a family,” he states on
“Wandering Rebel,” “so if this music thing not pick up / we’ll have to make some
changes up in here.”
Wauters’ moments of honest self-reflection lend depth to his penchant for playful
musical experimentation, while his ever-growing network of collaborators across the
globe add nuance and fluidity to his songwriting.