Winged Wheel

Winged Wheel is a collaborative project that sprang from the unlikely meeting of four musicians who, despite years of moving through the same D.I.Y. circles, had never all been in the same room before. The band’s core consists of Cory Plump (Spray Paint, Expensive Shit), Whitney Johnson (Matchess, Damiana), Fred Thomas (Tyvek, Idle Ray), and Matthew Rolin (Powers/Rolin Duo, solo). Their debut album, *No Island*, took shape during the quarantine era through remote collaboration, with each member recording and sharing parts from isolation before assembling the tracks into a cohesive whole. The result is a strangely amorphous yet captivating sound, where layered guitar work, hypnotic rhythms, and submerged vocals blur and blend.

For their sophomore album, *Big Hotel*, Winged Wheel expanded both their lineup and their scope, adding members Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Lonnie Slack (Water Damage), and bringing everyone together in the studio for the first time. This shift is reflected in their denser, more monolithic sound, which merges shoegaze textures, rhythmic indie, and the live energy of a true ensemble. The band’s music continues to evolve, carving out space for each member’s distinct personality while maintaining the kind of mystery and magic that only happens when old friends finally get to play in the same room.