'A second chance': The Walters hit 1 billion streams with 'I Love You So,' have new single 'By the Water'

In making the video for “By the Water,” The Walters vocalist Luke Olson had to endure some harsh filming conditions.

The band’s most recent music video has Olson plunge himself into a pool, signifying a new beginning.

“It was quite cold,” he says with a laugh. “Thankfully, we did the scene at the end of the shoot. At the end of the day, I was able to get warm. It’s the suffering for the art.”

Olson and The Walters have been on a journey for the last two years. The band found success in 2014 when it formed.

By 2017, the band — which includes Walter Kosner, Danny Wells and Charlie Ekhaus – had called it quits due to infighting.

“That break really helped all of us grow,” Olson says. “We’ve come back together stronger and wiser than we were the first time around.”

The Walters are on a small tour, which will make a stop on Friday, Nov. 3, at Launchpad.

The band recently released the single, “By the Water,” which is a glimpse of forthcoming music.

Inspiration for the song came from Olson purchasing a home on Lake Michigan.

“It’s kind of just me buying a dream house by the water,” Olson says. “The move to my new home inspired the song because I realized that the more we try to control things, we really can’t. Water is a fluid and constantly changing. It’s a reminder that we have to let go and follow the path and navigate it as well as we can.”

After a five-year hiatus, Olson says his and the band’s perspective have changed.

“We’ve gotten older and we’re all a little wiser,” he says. “We’re a little more centered than we were when the band first started.”

The Walters released the EP, “Try Again,” in 2022, which reintroduced the music world to the band’s music.

The band released a new version of its hit song, “I Love You So,” which has catapulted the band’s profile on TikTok.

The single crossed the billion mark in streams.

“This is an elite club we’re in,” Olson says. “Having that on our résumé, it’s very helpful for us. We’re seeing what we can do with that.”

The Walters are in the mixing stage for a new album and Olson says 2024 will bring an international tour taking them to Thailand, Taiwan and China.

“I’ve always wanted to be able to see the world through making music,” he says. “The next album will be a real full-length album, and this will be another milestone.”

Coming back to the music industry was a huge win for The Walters.

Olson says when the band originally released “I Love You So,” it has a lot of momentum and the future was bright.

“We were this hot new thing and our last show was playing Lollapalooza,” he says. “I never took any of it for granted. During the break, that was really hard for me to be off from playing to these bigger crowds. Every show that we play now, we give it everything. We played a sold-out show at The Troubadour and it was one of the best shows of my life. Every opportunity to get up on stage and perform, it’s special for us. I’m very grateful we have a second chance.”