WREX: Sending SADWORLD "Off To College"

“There’s no such thing as taking it easy over here.” Vocalist Mae Seaton concisely sums up what it’s been like for WREX since they formed in 2020, particularly the last year of non-stop touring and finding time to create their upcoming EP SADWORLD, releasing 20th May. “In terms of finishing it, it was tough,” admits guitarist and producer George Donoghue, “we were behind schedule, naturally off the back of that comes burnout, your health and trying to juggle having lives and jobs, but we’re not weird about it, we just trusted the process on that.”

Trusting the process has resulted in an EP of 5 sublime tracks that incorporate nu-metal steely beats, charged trance synths, and alt-punk attitude. SADWORLD isn’t just enjoyable to listen to from a production sense, it’s also a cathartic release that expresses a multitude of feelings. “It becomes a journey and every song hits a different emotion, not necessarily intentionally,” Seaton muses. “I think A Thousand Ways will probably resonate the most, or I hope so - the people that do connect with it will connect quite deeply.” 

“It’s the rawest song we’ve ever done,” Donoghue continues, “and it came together the fastest. I think they all serve different purposes as songs musically and in terms of what they draw out of you in energy. Once the song is made and it’s out there, it’s not ours anymore, it’s everyone else’s - the catharsis of creating the EP is what helps me through the emotion.” This is a sentiment you’ll find, not just within the lyrics and sound of WREX, but in how they interact with audiences at shows, despite their time on the road and in general everyday life hindering how they cathart their emotions. “I always go into the crowd on 111, and I jumped off the stage bar and really let loose, I remember getting back on stage and going “thank you, I really needed that”. It was a built up tension and then releasing energy when we were on a tour break,” Donoghue says, almost looking relaxed as he relives that moment of audience interaction.

“You get connected to it, it’s a personal thing,” adds Seaton on the feeling of letting go to other collaborators and trusting the growth of their music. “It’s like having 5 eclectic children and managing to send them all off to college, but 10 children [ideas for the EP] never made it,” Donoghue explains in an unexpected but effective analogy. “We don’t talk about those children... this has taken a weird turn,” laughs Seaton. “But they’ll blossom in due course.” From stepping away from synths to real guitar and their first live piano, to combining an abandoned track intro from a previous EP into the end of The Noose in a “eureka moment”, WREX have worked tirelessly to stitch together a sound that highlights their favoured nu-metal, alt-rock roots and merged ideas with friends and inspirations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvHSlF-jPlo

Creating SADWORLD presented WREX with the chance to work alongside other musicians and assimilate other ideas and vibes into their work, a process that wasn’t exactly difficult but was new for Donoghue, having to “let go” and trust the production to someone else for a while. “Our drummer showed our friend Kieron [Pepper, SLEEPER bassist] Paranoia while it was on its way, and he texted me out of the blue “can I work on this? I think I can add value”. I really respect him and it was a turning point for me to let go of additional production ideas to a third party. He created whole synth layers, percussion, and electronic programming, and that then influenced Consume and opened my mind to how to add an extra layer to things.”

Collaboration has been the end goal for WREX since they first formed and released their first EP Paradise in 2022 as a duo, with SADWORLD being their biggest collaboration project to date. “We started off as a space we could create under the name WREX and as it grew we could invite people in to collaborate. The first record was just us two, the next we had an actual bassist, drummer, and guitarist, and for this record we wrote 111 with Adam Sedgwick [TRIBE OF GHOSTS], and Kieron [Pepper] coming in on production, and its grown to become a space for more people to come into as an extension of performing it live and being that special level as well,” Donoghue explains, breaking down the evolution of the duo’s journey. The dream collaborators for the duo? “We both said PAPA ROACH,” admits Donoghue, with Seaton laughing that they were at the front of her mind mulling over the question.

Given their trajectory and remarkable determination, it won’t be long before we see WREX working with such an influential band, with an absolutely stacked 2026 ahead of them and projects they can’t spoil for us yet. With another full-to-bursting year ahead of them, the duo reflect on how they handled being on the road as a full band and what that looks like for the coming months. “We’re good as a band at enjoying the wholesome side of things, we just find wholesome things to do, almost like a family.” Donoghue considers, before Seaton excitedly reminisces about a safari park and inflatable course. “We’re in the toughest part of this new growth as a band, it will beat you into the ground, so you have to find the joy in it.”

WREX will release their EP SADWORLD on 20th May 2026.

Words: Julia Stark

Photos: Ethne Lever

With thanks to: Halestorm PR and WREX