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Welcome to the Plains is Wyatt Flores’ debut album, released on October 18, 2024. The album was the highly anticipated follow-up to his previous releases, Life Lessons and Half Life. Wyatt discovers his sound in Welcome to the Plains, with his red dirt roots showing through proudly. The album as a whole is a journey of self-discovery. Wyatt grapples with missing his hometown, the journey of his career, family, and relationships. It stands as one of the best examples of storytelling through lyricism, and that is what I will be discussing throughout this excerpt.
The album starts with the title track, “Welcome to the Plains.” The track speaks about his home, Oklahoma. Wyatt describes his hometown in a way that might seem unromantic, and honestly kind of sad, to someone without context. The lyrics, “where dreams go drying up like rain,” stick with me in this one because we can see Wyatt’s initial perception of his hometown. We’re seeing what many would consider to be the “unromantic” sides of it. The descriptive word usage allows us to really see his hometown for ourselves, putting the listener in the experience of living there. Wyatt expresses the feeling of being stuck. He’s both proud of and burdened by his roots. This track feels like a love letter and a lament combined into one. Wyatt is proud of where he came from. It made him who he is. But he’s not going to romanticize it. He’s bringing the raw, rough, gritty truth.
The next track is “When I Die,” and this one packs a punch. The song discusses Wyatt’s view of life and death, which is a common theme in both his album cover imagery and previous songs. It showcases what Wyatt wants in life: peace, normalcy, love, and family. He expresses how he wouldn’t want people to cry when he’s gone because he lived his life while he had the chance. He’s more concerned with the legacy he leaves behind, not the concept of being gone. Wyatt is more focused on living right before death comes, rather than fearing death itself.
“Oh Susannah” is one of the most meaningful tracks on this album. Not only is the interpolation from his hit song “Please Don’t Go” evident, but the two songs are clearly connected. This was Wyatt’s way of saying that, however badly he wishes he could save everyone, he can’t because he’s sinking himself. This one came after Wyatt’s public mental health decline, which caused him to take a break from music and reflect. Realizing you can’t save everyone is a hard lesson, especially when dealing with themes as heavy as mental illness and suicide. This track is an ode to the human experience: while trying to help others, you may slowly lose yourself. Check in on the people you love, and always take care of yourself.
“The Only Thing Missing Is You” is a yearning anthem. Wyatt fills the song with all the great things happening to him, but the only thing he’s missing is you, whoever that may be. The song reads like a letter from the road or a reflection during a quiet moment of success. But that peace is incomplete. Wyatt captures the feeling of having everything except that one thing, and yearning for it deeply.
“Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight” was released as a single, and I loved this one when it first dropped. At its core, it’s a vulnerable love song about lingering in the moment. It captures the early stages of love, where everything feels fragile and perfect, and even saying goodbye feels like too much. This song is about falling, and falling hard and fast. It’s about choosing to stay a little longer, just to be in someone’s presence.
“Habits” is one of the most underrated songs on the album. It’s Wyatt at his most stripped-down and vulnerable. He mentioned at his Basement pop-up show in February 2025 that this song is the follow-up to “losing sleep”, as in “didn’t mind losing sleep.” This song is about the aftermath of losing sleep. He’s discussing the pain of losing love. He’s become just like the person who hurt him. He “picked up your habits.”
“Right Here With You” is one of the sweetest little love songs. It says, “I’m not going anywhere.” It reflects Wyatt’s quiet devotion. The message is clear: “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here for you.” This song shows how devoted Wyatt is. It celebrates the beauty in the simplicity of love. His idea of romance isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about the kind of quiet, consistent love that shows up even when everything else feels uncertain.
“The Truth” is another overlooked track, in my opinion. It’s about self-awareness, regret, and the honesty that follows loss. Wyatt expresses his truth in a raw, uncut way. He admits he’s pretending to be fine because it’s the only way he can get through the heartbreak. He can’t stop dreaming of her, but he wishes he could stop holding on because there’s nothing left for him to lose.
“Forget Your Voice” is a song Wyatt wrote about his grandparents. It deals with aging, dementia, and the fear of forgetting the people you love. It’s an expression of love in its deepest form. Wyatt isn’t afraid of what the world might throw at him. He’s afraid of forgetting someone who mattered most.
“Angels Over You” is a track I’ve cried to more times than I can count. It’s a message of hope for anyone struggling. There are angels watching over you, and there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The song closes with the powerful lyric: “You’re gonna get through all this hell you’re going through.” This marks a shift in mindset. Wyatt believes that hope still exists, even in the middle of pain.
“Little Town” is a song about a small town near Wyatt’s hometown. It highlights the beauty in simplicity. Even if everyone else is moving on, Wyatt’s still holding on to that place. It’s a love letter to any small town. Those places may seem insignificant to outsiders, but the passion the locals have for them makes them beautiful.
“Stillwater” is one of my favorite tracks, for good reason. It’s about life in a college town, where people come and go, and everything feels the same. The song tells the story of a romantic interest coming into town and then leaving, while Wyatt stays behind. Things may change for others, but for him, it’s always Stillwater.
“Falling Sideways” is my favorite track. It’s about trying to rekindle something with an ex and having it go wrong. Wyatt tells the story of his ex calling him to meet at a bar, and the emotional fallout that followed. I mean, who hasn’t been there? This song captures the aftermath of that moment with the bottle by the bedside. Sometimes your demons find a way to catch up to you.
“The Good Ones” is the final track on the album, and it’s a perfect closer. It’s about someone who was genuinely “one of the good ones.” It’s a tribute to the people he’s lost, celebrating their legacy and the ways they continue to live on in his memory. They may not be here with us tonight, but they’re certainly not gone.
Overall, this album is phenomenal. Upon revisiting it, I remembered exactly why I fell in love with Welcome to the Plains. It’s raw, gritty, truthful, and honest—an unfiltered account of Wyatt’s life. He tackles subjects that many consider taboo, like mental health, loss, suicide, and pain. The album takes you on a journey through confusion, heartbreak, and personal struggle, and then shows you that there’s still hope on the other side.
I love this album, and I always will. One of these songs will connect with you in some way, and I can promise you that. Almost a year after its release, and I still love it just as much.
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