Wavves - You're Welcome

Wavves, aka Nathan Williams and company, has almost always has been seriously hit and miss with me.  There have been Wavves albums that I've been obsessed with, but just as many have confused me.  Wavves 2008 self titled debut is quite frankly a mess.  I get they were going for with this very Low Fi sound, but this album just sounded horrible.  On 2009's "Wavvves", Wavves got their sound a little closer to the right direction.  While I still didn't love this album, I enjoyed Nathan and the boys turn to a more melodic sound.  However, Wavves seriously nailed it with "King of the Beach".  This album remained Low-Fi and very DIY sounding.  However, the songs here were catchy and youthful, and had a strong sense of surf rock appeal.  On Wavves next album, "Afraid of Heights", for the first time the boys were working with much cleaner production.  Which of course, lead to some very different feelings on the album.  You can say that Nathan was worshiping and imitating Nirvana here and that the sound they were going for was so far from what they were originally going for.  And those are two very true points.  However, it's also true that "Afraid Of Heights" contained some of Wavves most well written and catchiest tracks yet.  But just when I thought Wavves had finally really gotten their groove down, they released "V".  This was by FAR the most boring and forgettable album Wavves had ever touched.  There were catchy tracks like "Tarantula" and "Redlead", but everything else here was seriously a complete bore to listen to.  That all being said I really never know if I'm going to truly love a Wavves album or not. However.  I gotta hand it to Nathan, the singles hes dropped so far from this album have been some of his sharpest, catchiest, and biggest singles yet!  As far as a rock album goes, this is easily one of my most anticipated of the year.  Let's talk about this bad boy.

(A classic from Wavves)

This album starts off with “Daisy”, and if I just casually tuned into this intro, I would have thought I has stumbled across a long lost track from Wavves’ early days.  The very scratchy production is there and the guitars are totally off the wall sounding.  The issue with the last few Wavves albums has been just how robotic and streamlined the music of Wavves was sounding.  “Daisy” however is just a seriously fun Garage Punk tune. There’s a weird sort of island vibe in that one twangy guitar that keeps repeating, and it works fantastic.  Very quickly though, a serious standout here is the production.  I feel like the majority of Wavves fans were just so turned off when Wavves went for much cleaner production.  But “Daisy” is squeaky clean and polished sounding, but it’s also seriously heavy and awesome.  We’re only one track in and this is easily the most fun I’ve had listening to Wavves in probably 5 years.  Up next is the title track, “You’re Welcome”.  Now, to me, this comes off like the sound that Wavves were really trying to pull off on their “Afraid of Heights” album.  It has a much slower pace and an edgier sound.  But I feel like this come off lighter in atmosphere and more concrete sounding, as well as strangely hypnotic.  Wavves on this track seriously sound like they're just being themselves, not like they’ve ever tried to fit too much into a niche.  I continue to seriously love the very heavy and ridged production.  Plus, Wavves continue to keep just enough of the elements from their old tracks, like the backing “Woohooo” vocals that bring in that surf rock element even though it’s been years since their “King Of The Beach” days.  So far, this is just a seriously solid rock album.  Up next is “No Shade” and all I have to say about this one is “Wow”.  I haven’t heard this much raucous energy and excitement in a Wavves track in years.  I feel like this what they were trying for when they released that EP with Cloud Nothings.   But my lord, “No Shade” is just fantastic.  The production here continues to be a serious highlight, those blasts of synths or industrial noise or whatever that is comes off great, and I also really love the very laid back backing vocals.  “No Shade” is just a great tightly wound, cleanly produced punk track, and it’s so refreshing to hear.  By the time we get to “Million Enemies”, I’m starting to get the feeling that this album is seriously going to tick off a lot of people.  The production here is just so glitzy and stunning, but it also has that same post grunge sort of edge that was present on their “Afraid of Heights” album.  For older fans of Wavves, this is seriously quite possibly going to be very nauseating.  But for me, “Million Enemies” is the best thing Wavves has done in years.  Between that hypnotic riff and Nate’s fantastic vocal performance, it has some serious Pop appeal as well.  So far, this album has been something completely different for Wavves, which 110% what I needed to hear from them.  I love the very crunchy guitars and the strangely heavy atmosphere.  All I have to say is, what a seriously enjoyable opening couple of tracks.  

As the album moves on, tracks like “Hollowed Out” have a very whimsical feel to it, even when things pick up a little.  It’s still all coming off pretty smoothly however.  And while this isn’t as punchy or as impactful, it’s consistent, which is what I wanted to hear from Wavves the most. As “Hollowed Out” movies on, I fall even more and more in love with it.  The production on this track is so heavy, and when those walls of synths come in it’s just fantastic.  Plus, Nathan continues to pen some of his best and most iconic choruses in years.  But sadly Wavves do hit a little bump in the road with “Come To The Valley”.  Sadly, this one comes off seriously awkward for Wavves.  I feel like I sort of get what they’re going for here, but it really doesn’t work.  I feel the same about this as I felt on the new Black Lips album I talked about a few weeks ago, I feel like I’m missing the joke if there is one here.  “Come To The Valley” doesn’t add anything to the album.  While it is catchy, it’s not funny or quirky or anything, and it really doesn’t accomplish much.  I just feel like with their last two albums being a little mediocre with “Afraid of Heights” and absolutely boring with “V”, Wavves really don’t have time for tracks like this.  Thankfully, Wavves pick it right back up with “Animal”, one of the catchiest and most “classic Wavves” sounding tracks here.  I love the little details here, like the jangly bells in the background that give this a little bit of a youthful sound that Wavved used to dominate with.  Plus, that funky, upbeat bass groove is brilliant.  “Animal” clicks on every level.  But man, that production continues to work seriously wonders for Wavves.  And strangely enough, the very pristine production really adds to the very chaotic element to Wavves’ music.  I’m just so happy with this album overall.  Not to mention, in a strange way, “Animal” is actually one of the sweetest tracks Nathan has ever penned.  Then we have tracks like “Stupid In Love” which at first really underwhelmed me, but it’s certainly grown on me since.  I love the very laid back vocals with this upbeat and peppy instrumental.  It certainly gets across the feeling of the title of this track, I’ll give it that, and the very hazy delivery is great too.  However, “Stupid In Love” most importantly reminds us of something we forget, that Wavves are at their best when their at their most simplistic and easygoing.  

There’s a little bit of everything from Wavves going on here.  We have tracks like “Exercise” that sound like a literally reworked version of a “King Of The Beach” track.  It’s intense, and it’s easily the most wild and rebellious track here.  It’s short, sweet, and to the point, and more or less, it’s everything that attracted me to Wavves years ago.  Up next is “Under”, and at this point when I heard a drum machine and guitars taking a back seat, I seriously got a little worried.  But when Nathan’s vocals come crashing in for that chorus, I instantly get right back into everything.  Immediately, this track is absolutely gigantic and crushing.  I love the massive, dirty production on this track that comes off so hulking.  While the verses on “Under” are a little underwhelming, they serve their purpose by drawing you in big time for that explosive chorus.  Plus, I seriously love Nathan’s lyrics on this one, especially on that last verse.  Between all of that and those great backing vocals, this is seriously great.   Then we have tracks like “Dreams of Grandeur”, which quite frankly are a little awkward.  I like the upbeat atmosphere and all, but I feel like this is literally everything that was wrong with the last Wavves album.  The feel and the instrumentals are just fine.  But outside of that, there is literally nothing even remotely memorable about this one.  The hook is ok, Nathan’s performance is fine, but outside of that there isn’t a single thing that I can grab on to and remember about this one.  I don’t think it’s bad, just severely unmemorable.  Plus, why the hell is this track over 4 minutes long, including a completely unnecessary.  Wavves ends off this album with another slow, almost Doo-Wop sort of tune, “I Love You”.  But to be honest, this one comes off a little better than the band’s earlier attempt at this.  It’s still the furthest thing from a Wavves tune, and this is still really sort of bizarre.  But as an outro, it’s sort of sweet and works as a good send off.  I’m not saying it’s justified, but I can vibe to it. Plus, I really love some of the guitar solos floating through the background.  

Rating: 8.4/10

Give A Listen To: “No Shade”, “Million Enemies”, “Animal”, “Under”

Overall Thoughts:  This is a Wavves album that's seriously going to get on a lot of people's nerves.  This is the furthest thing from what I thought I wanted to hear from Wavves.  I always thought the answer was for them to go dirtier and crunchier and lessen some of the production.  However, Nathan Williams and company answer THAT statement, with their glossiest and most cleanly produced album yet.  The result is an album that's going to piss off a lot of Wavves older fans.  Gone are the days of Low-Fi production and Slacker Lyrics, and in it's place are some of the cleanest sounding and catchiest Wavves songs ever.  I went into this album demanding something different from Wavves, and you can't argue that's what they brought to the table.  And while for many this is going to be frustrating, I can't help but love this album.