Eric Wallace wears many hats in Birmingham: teacher, entrepreneur, nonprofit director. But, no matter how you know him and his work, don’t lose sight of the fact that he’s a prolific musician and songwriter at his core.

Over the past 20 years, he’s been in a slew of bands, including Wildcat Revival, The Monitors, The Blips, Bad Hops, and more. Across every project, there’s a steady through-line: he habitually makes music with his close friends. It’s a theme he prioritizes when talking about his nonprofit organization, the Firehouse Community Arts Center, too. “Get in a room and make music with your friends,” is a compelling message he often delivers to his students, and it’s one of the most impactful elements of the Firehouse’s mission.

And, now, he’s bringing together a fresh configuration of friends to get good and loud under the name World Record. It’s a “not so super group” (per their Instagram bio) that consists of several Birmingham pros: Will Stewart, Will Grainger, Wes McDonald, and Keelan Parrish. Today, they’re premiering their first single, “Pixelated Beating,” a brash, guitar-forward tune with touches of country and a perfectly abbreviated chorus.

For those who’ve kept up with Eric’s musical output over the years, you’ll hear some familiar echoes of past projects and stated influences (Crazy Horse, The Dexateens, Teenage Fanclub). But, thankfully, World Record finds a fresh angle, with punchy guitars, country-tranced pedal steel, and a super concise structure. There’s no room for meandering or wandering on the track – it pounds, pauses, and blows open with urgency while Eric ruminates on the state of the world. As he told me in a text a few days ago, “‘Pixelated beating’ [is] kind of an absurd take on how ridiculous it is to be alive today, the mental beating you take every time you open your phone. Images distilled to make everything seem problematic and normal simultaneously.”

So, take a break from your daily digital beating and stream the tune below:

World Record will celebrate “Pixelated Beating” tonight (11/21) at Mom’s Basement with Kate Hollingsworth, then they’ll perform with several of their labelmates from Cornelius Chapel Records at Trim Tab Brewing on Saturday (11/22).

World Record Debuts “Pixelated beating”

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