“I can’t carry the weight of spite and revenge – it’s not productive. The best revenge is living well.”

– Tom Hultsch, WTGR

From the moment that I first clicked play on this sugary sweet, bouncy track from Way To Go Radio, I was enamored with the stylings of the three man band. Featuring Joe Alonzo on the drums, bassist Justin Fransciose, and leading man Tom Hultsch on synth, guitar, and vocals, Way To Go Radio has a way of leading you into a happy place before delivering a bittersweet message that we can all relate to in one way or another. What if we don’t – in fact – need space, after all? “Space” is a track that keeps you intrigued with its back and forth between boppy pop fun and dark vocals, lamenting for a closeness from someone who has slipped just a bit too far out of reach.

In a discussion I had with Tom Hultsch, he told me that he had a lot going on when WTGR started writing Verbal Tuxedo. The project took a dark and negative turn, careening off the rails while Tom held himself together by the power of happy tunes and comedy podcasts. About halfway through, he scrapped a large portion of his work when he realized just how powerful those songs and podcasts actually were.

Inspired by the positive media he was consuming, he wanted Verbal Tuxedo to have a similar empowering effect on people. He wanted to help people move past their dark experiences. This emotional push and pull created songs like “Space,” where the music and the message collide to create a sense of relatable realness. Way To Go Radio reminds us here that while our emotions can be dark, we don’t have to take ourselves too seriously.

Verbal Tuxedo’s official release is June 2025, so don’t forget to follow them on their social media listed above to stay up to date on gigs and the album rollout!