{"id":2033310,"date":"2026-07-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2033310"},"modified":"2026-07-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-259","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2033310","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tWHATMORE COULD YOU WANT?!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
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Infectious and endearing, the eclectic NYC rap collective has the story and skill to go right to the top. How will they make it there? Easy \u2013 leaning on each other.\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Every group, every band, every collective has certain boxes to tick. You\u2019ve got to be similar enough to find common personal and artistic ground, but disparate enough to be unique and individually engaging. Each member has a role to play. There are five key characters within a successful crew; WHATMORE<\/a> knows how to fill that quota.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The brains<\/strong>? Cisco Swank of course, the Berkeley-educated instrumental whizz with commanding intellect and impressive articulation. The heartthrob?<\/strong> \u201cThat one\u2019s easy,\u201d the guys agree. That\u2019s Sebastiano. It\u2019s difficult to disagree with that one \u2013 cool as a cucumber with a nonchalant charisma and the smoothest steeze. The joker? <\/strong>Obviously Yoshi T. \u2013 in conversation he oscillates between presenting (actually quite a good) fake British accent and spinning his fellow members with zippy witticisms; lyrically he\u2019s just as playful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe corrupted me,\u201d his pal Jackson August quips, remembering when the pair of old friends were first introduced on the first day of sixth grade. The curly-haired ringleader feels like the obvious protagonist of the five, with his softboi zest and the vocal hooks to match. So naturally, the dreamer. <\/strong>And last, but certainly not least, is the glue, the producer, the musical director: Elijah Judah \u2013 the backbone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York\u2019s finest WHATMORE are the most vibrant American boyband to emerge since BROCKAMPTON stormed onto the scene just under a decade ago. Five childhood friends, musicians, producers, singers, rappers, merging musically after college to pursue and, consequently, climb an unlikely summit \u2013 becoming one of US hip-hop\u2019s most hotly-tipped rising collectives. Doing it for their city. Doing it for the Knicks. Doing it for each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s lovely and all, but what actually makes the boys stand out from the rest? For one, the urgency of their appeal. WHATMORE upholds an undeniably \u00e9clat, larger-than-life vigour. Take their music videos \u2013 like the roadside \u201chit it\u201d which sees the gang seamlessly vibing around a red convertible, or \u201cchicken shop date\u201d, filmed entirely, chaotically in a take-out spot with the guys again taking it in turns performing to the cameras, flexing their lyrical wax, and their blatant chemistry that began with brotherhood well before artistic collaboration.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe met in high school,\u201d Yoshi recalls; Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts to be precise, which boasts alums including Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Al Pacino. \u201cJust a bunch of jitlings running around with our saxophones, pianos, clarinets and drumsticks. Making new sounds. And somehow WHATMORE was created.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boyish, endearing alchemy that bubbles between the five early twenty-somethings carries over in person. It\u2019s mid-May and the lads are in London for a short spell, stopping off in the Metropolitan to support Joey Valance & Brae for their show at Camden\u2019s Roundhouse. We rendezvous at Wonderland<\/em>\u2018s Soho HQ, coffees all round on a sunny, springy Tuesday. There\u2019s a bounce to the quintet that never feels boisterous or overbearing \u2013 more enthusiastic, effusive. It\u2019s safe to say they\u2019re having a good time while across the Atlantic. \u201cWe\u2019re out here in Europe,\u201d Jackson marvels as we settle into a catch-up. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been to most of these places. So it\u2019s like, we\u2019re in Dublin, we\u2019re getting a Guinness, it\u2019d be crazy not to do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n
\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n

It\u2019s been a swift and direct incline for the cruising companions. Before WHATMORE was born a few years ago, the boys were still best buds from high school, all progressive creatives in their own right. They were their own thing, jetting off to different colleges to shape their respective musical ideologies. It was in the years during and after college that the group\u2019s joint purpose became clearer \u2013 years after they first met and became each other\u2019s chosen family.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all grew as artists since we went to high school,\u201d Seb says. \u201c Back then, we all had jazz band, theory classes, all that, and had a love for music pretty early. But after high school, we went to different colleges except for Elijah and Yoshi who went to Purchase College together. But we stayed pretty tight. We were doing solo stuff, Elijah pretty much produced all of our stuff, and we were very much featuring on each other\u2019s songs. So we were doing our solo things and then in like 2023\/4, we were like, \u2018We\u2019ve never really collectively got together and made music in the same room.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

So they did just that, and it seems the results were almost instantaneous. Each member had developed their respective approach since high school; Cisco chiselled his jazz at Berkeley, Elijah and Yoshi finessed their vision at Purchase, Seb was prospering as a rapper, Jackson was doing \u201cmad house shows in Syracuse, New York,\u201d finding and cultivating an indie rock community. They all sought something and then brought it back together, connecting and interlinking a web of talent. \u201cAll my homies from Syracuse now play with our homies from New York,\u201d Jackson continues. \u201cWe know all of Cisco\u2019s musicians from Berkeley and now play with them. It\u2019s become a little scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n
\"WHATMORE<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The result is a tapestry of influence, a sweeping and sensational smorgasbord of ideas. And their debut album really manifests that. Released in October 2025, the 12-track self-titled record clocks in at a lean run time just shy of 31 minutes, and the band make use of every second of it. From the fearless punkish pout of \u201cjackie chan\u201d, to the pop punk sincerity of \u201cjennie\u201d and the Lil Yachty-esque hook of \u201cput it on hearts\u201d, the cross-genre stylistic pollination comes off as thrilling, exuberant and considerably concise \u2013 provokingly mature for an inaugural attempt at a full-length. It\u2019s a real marker to build from, and a statement of intent to their city and to the wider industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s exceeded expectations,\u201d Seb analyses. \u201cWe set expectations super high, but just the fact that we are now part of New York City culture is huge for us. We grew up admiring people in the New York scene and everything, like music, fashion. So the fact that seven months later, we\u2019re part of that, is like a dream come true. But we have our ambitions really high and, you know, we\u2019re trying to take over the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Considering how quickly the boys went from an unknown entity to one of US rap\u2019s hottest collectives, it comes as no surprise that WHATMORE aren\u2019t set to catch their breath anytime soon. They appeared on A COLORS SHOW<\/a> in December last year, and returned with a double A-sided single in March; the dual drop is an exemplification of the group\u2019s daring eclecticism \u2013 the sleepy, sample-led hip-hop-infused \u201cStill Loiteringgg\u201d both correlates and contrasts the equally effective but musically divergent, suitably named \u201c2000s Pop Punk RnB\u201d. We\u2019ve since also been blessed with another new single, the 6th July-shared \u201cOn Site\u201d<\/a>, an idiosyncratic rap cut that\u2019s immediately an essential addition to the group\u2019s growing canon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWHATMORE drops bangers only, that\u2019s why,\u201d grins Seb, explaining why they\u2019ve decided to drop a run of standalone singles this year rather than jumping back into another body of work. \u201cI think we\u2019re definitely going to come correct in the new year with the project,\u201d Yoshi adds. \u201cSo just to give us some time to just focus on that and to keep releasing. But also with the A side\/A side, it\u2019s not really a concept that\u2019s been super relevant musically or culturally, so we thought it was a cool idea to tap into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Established, buzzy and tighter than ever as friends and collaborators \u2013 with festival performances at Coachella and The Governors Ball ticked off and Lollapalooza and Reading & Leeds to come this summer \u2013 the boys are moving into the next phase of their career. Invariably, as youth slips deeper into adulthood and responsibilities, their lives, outlook, and relationships will change. And it feels that the very essence of WHATMORE is the pure, youthful, undeviating fun that bleeds out of the music. You listen to their debut album, and feel the joy and excitement it was made with. Bottling up that emotion may prove harder as their stock grows. But Yoshi, Seb, Elijah, Jackson and Cisco aren\u2019t too worried about change \u2013 they know each other, they trust each other, they lean on each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been friends for so long,\u201d Jackson reflects in finality, before they play me a few unreleased tunes (Seb\u2019s right, WHATMORE only drops bangers), dap me goodbye and head off into the afternoon, laughing and joking as they go. \u201cI\u2019ve literally known Yoshi since I was 12, and everyone else since 14. We kind of already figured out how to communicate before WHATMORE. We\u2019ve quite literally gone through it all. I fucking know these guys. So now this is the evolution of that. There\u2019s obviously new things now that we\u2019re really doing this. But if anything, we\u2019ve gone through crazier shit before. Like, puberty? You know what I\u2019m saying?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to the album\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Words \u2013 Ben Tibbits<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Photography \u2013 Joe Joden<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t8 July 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Feature Interview<\/a><\/div>\n
Music<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tilykimchi Was Born To Stand Out<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland WHATMORE COULD YOU WANT?!\u00a0\u00a0 Infectious and endearing, the eclectic NYC rap collective has the story and skill to go right to the top. How will they make it there? Easy \u2013 leaning on each other.\u00a0 Every group, every band, every collective has certain boxes to tick. You\u2019ve got to be similar enough to find […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2033310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2033310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2033310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2033310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2033310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2033310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2033310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}