Next Week’s Washing Channel Coming-of-Age Anxiety Through Euphoric Shoegaze on “Where Did I Go Wrong”
Toronto indie quintet Next Week’s Washing share “Where Did I Go Wrong,” an exhilarating new single that pairs soaring shoegaze textures with driving alternative rock. Serving as the latest preview of the band’s forthcoming second EP, the track captures the uncertainty of growing up in a rapidly changing world, exploring the self-doubt, anxiety, and search for identity that define a generation growing up in unprecedented times.
“It’s about trying to find yourself and becoming the person you want to be at a strange time in the world,” explains singer Miles Duffy. “There’s a level of anxiety and self-doubt that comes with being young nowadays, and we felt like it’s an important thing to write about because we’re all experiencing this culture firsthand.”
Written from the perspective of young people navigating an increasingly uncertain future, “Where Did I Go Wrong” reflects the quiet internal questions that often accompany growing older. Rather than offering easy answers, the song embraces uncertainty itself, examining what it means to search for purpose while constantly questioning your place in the world. That perspective has become a defining principle behind the band’s songwriting, as they continue documenting the emotional realities of their generation through honest, relatable storytelling.
That emotional tension is reflected throughout the song’s expansive sonic palette. Built around the contrast between a raw, driving guitar riff and shimmering shoegaze textures, “Where Did I Go Wrong” gradually grows into an immersive wall of sound. The band intentionally layered guitars throughout the arrangement, allowing the song to evolve from a sparse opening into a euphoric, emotionally charged finale.
The track continued evolving during pre-production with producer Dylan Frankland (Tallies), when the band realized the song was building toward a moment it hadn’t yet earned. Together they revisited the arrangement, writing an entirely new outro that provided both the instrumental release and lyrical resolution they had been searching for. What quickly became one of their favourite moments on the upcoming sophomore EP now serves as the emotional climax of the song, tying together its themes of uncertainty, reflection, and personal growth.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Next Week’s Washing are:
Miles Duffy – Vocals
Julian Duffy – Guitar
Rhys Newman – Guitar
Ben Sawyer – Bass
Evan de Castro – Drums
“Where Did I Go Wrong” explores the uncertainty, anxiety, and self-doubt that can come with growing up today. What experiences or conversations within the band first inspired you to turn those feelings into a song?
We actually used to play “Where Did I Go Wrong” in a different iteration of the same band – Miles was on drums before he was singing! We rediscovered the song around the time Julian, Rhys, Evan and Ben were getting ready to go off to university. (Miles is 17, so he hasn’t gone yet.)
We played through the song a few times and, as we started to rework and rewrite it, we noticed that somehow the lyrics had become even more relevant to all of us after a few years had passed. It felt like we were all in a pretty unique period of change, but also one that everyone experiences in some way or another.
We thought that was a really interesting idea to explore, both lyrically and sonically – those almost anxious and uncertain feelings that can come with any kind of change.
Sonically, the track moves between driving alternative rock and expansive shoegaze textures. How did you find the right balance between the raw energy of the guitars and the more atmospheric layers?
I think the balance came pretty naturally through recording and playing the song. The drums are quite unique and driving, and that energy is mirrored by certain parts of the guitar while being countered by some of the other layers.
Another interesting texture we’ve always noticed is Miles’ voice. He has an almost naturally shoegazey tone when he sings, which can push certain parts of the recording in different directions. I think all of those elements came together pretty organically.
During pre-production with Dylan Frankland, you realized the song needed a different ending and wrote an entirely new outro. What wasn’t working about the original version, and what changed once that new section came together?
I think Dylan, our producer, made a really great observation when he said the song felt like it was building the entire way through. We’d put a lot of work into planning the guitar layers and making sure the song continued to build as it progressed, but we eventually realized it didn’t quite have the payoff it needed.
Once we added the new section, it suddenly felt like the song came together in a way that we hadn’t realized was missing. It gave the song a really satisfying ending that we didn’t even know it needed!
“Where Did I Go Wrong” offers another glimpse into your forthcoming second EP. How does this song fit into the larger project, and what evolution will listeners hear compared with your first EP?
I think the song is a good example of us working some slightly heavier elements into the sound we developed on the first EP. We’ve started experimenting more with heavier guitar layers and, in general, we’ve tried to add another layer of polish to what we already had.
We think of the new EP almost as if we took the old EP and flipped it from HD into 4K. The core of what we’ve been doing is still there, but everything feels a little bigger, more polished, and more developed.
As Next Week’s Washing continues to develop its identity as a band, what have you learned about the kind of music you want to make—and where do you hope this next chapter takes you?
We’ve really decided as a group that we want to make music that feels authentic to us. We’re of the mindset that, as long as you believe in what you’re doing, it doesn’t necessarily matter how other people react. It’s about saying exactly what you want to say and doing it with the skills you have at your disposal.
We don’t necessarily have any concrete goals for this next chapter (other than headlining Osheaga 2027, haha.) We’re really just excited to see where this takes us and what happens next!