Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Wild Pink - "Yolk In The Fur"

Wild Pink is an Alternative Rock band hailing from NY.  Now, I first got him to these guys around the time of their "Good Life" EP, mostly with just how incredibly passionate and calculating some of the performances here were.  The very visceral performances almost reminded me of something out of the Wolf Parade book.  But at the same time, Wild Pink seemed to know how to really make a great Pop song as well.  Because let me tell you, the material here is seriously catchy and had some very slick Power Pop influences.  Wild Pink made their full-length debut in 2017 with "Wild Pink".  Now, this album shied away from just how catchy some of the tracks were on their first EP.  And in return, they went for a real throwback Indie sound, combining elements of Slowcore and Emo, and it really wasn't terrible.  And yea, I did sort of miss just how catchy some of the tracks were.  But still, I wasn't too pissed. So, I'll be honest, I don't know how to feel about these new Wild Pink tracks.  They've gone much more Pop on us, which isn't necessarily bad, some of these singles are great.  But some are literally the worst tracks they've ever released.  Let's chat about this new Wild Pink album.

This album starts off with “Burger Hill”, and right from the opening very sweet notes of this, this is easily the vastest thing that Wild Pink has put forward recently.  It’s on the delicate side with strumming and the warm synths.  But it’s very cinematic in feel, and I can’t even begin to tell you just how serene this is.  But outside of that, it’s wild just how much these guys have really upped their game.  John Ross’s songwriting has absolutely multiplied by less and bounds.  The fact that this is the same Power Pop act that I was introduced to years ago is pretty staggering but in the best way.  “Burger Hill” is a very patient tune, that really takes advantage of pacing and atmosphere, and yes, I can honestly see a lot of War on Drugs fans being into this.  I really don’t have a bad thing to say about this.  Now, with tracks like “Lake Erie” that it just becomes so obvious how much of a sense of Americana that Wild Pink have taken on.  But trust me, it’s just as big and powerful as everything else here.  It gives the album this unreal sense of nostalgia and longing, and Wild Pink have adapted it into their style so seamlessly.  Now, you can argue that some of these songs are often very simple, and they certainly are.  But some of these simple, imagery fueled tracks are incredibly catchy.  It’s smokey at times and has the king of passionate vocals you need when you’re trying to get these sounds across.  We get a wailing guitar solo, epic drums, and as far as a sort of heavy track goes, this is the biggest track of the album. “Yolk In The Fur” on the other hand starts winding things back down for a more softer tune.  But Wild Pink continue to make these tracks just so big and epic.  There is a little bit of a throwback feel to this one, but at the end of the day, it just makes that very nostalgic feel to all of this even stronger.  This is just as hazy, and practically Shoegaze influenced at times.  But Wild Pink almost always have that Heartland feel trailing just out of reach.  And even if by this point I sort of wish they were switching things up a little bit more, this is a pretty solid track.  Thankfully, the second half of this track (since it’s just so damn long) is much stronger with gigantic power chords.  Then we get a very pleasant folky interlude with “Civility At Gunpoint”.  And I’ll be honest I don’t have tons to say about it, it’s just sweet and transitions things nicely.



This album rolls on with “Jewels Drossed In The Runoff”.  And I have to say, just how incredibly vast this album continues to be is just a wonderful thing.  Between the very warm synths and the acoustic strumming and the endearing vocals of John, these tracks have really grown on me a whole lot.  And lyrically, they continue to paint such beautiful pictures.  I’m actually seriously excited to see where this band eventually goes.  But for now, I do have a slight issue with this album.   I do feel like a lot of these tracks so easily wash into one another, and at times it’s a little hard to remember which one is which.  But it makes for a very nostalgic listening experience.  Then we have “There Is A Ledger” which switches things up in a big way.  This one is all based around this robotic beat that’s just so hypnotic.  I love the storytelling aspect of this one and just how much that groove breaks up this album.  In an album where a lot of the best songs do wash together a little bit, this one stands out massively.  I love just how haunting and memorable some of these synths are, and if you don’t walk around humming that one synth line all day there’s something up.  But no matter how many different elements Wild Pink throw in here, I can’t help but shake the feeling that this is all so simple, and so damn obvious.  It’s an awesome track.  “The Seance On St. Augustine St.” on the other hand, is the most stripped down track here, and probably my least favorite.  Without all of those synths and vast atmosphere, when we’re left alone with everything else this just sounds bland.  There isn’t anything about this track that really stands out or even sounds like anything else than an Indie band trying to get back to their roots.  Which is fine and all, but between the departure of a lot of the elements that make this album as good as it is, and the insanely slow pace of this one, I’m fading fast.  I mean, I do still really love some of the lyrics here and all, and when things pick up in the second half it’s better.  But at the end of the day, I’m just not into this one.  “John Mosby Hollow Drive” however is instantly much more enjoyable.  This one has this very pleasant, upbeat Folk Rock vibe.  It’s smooth, upbeat, and one of the more determined tracks here.  I do sort of miss some of the synths right about now, and I do sort of wish they would pop in.  But Wild Pink sound like they know what they’re doing, and this one is insanely catchy.



This album hits another snag with “Love Is Better”, one of the first tracks I heard from this album.  And I’m sorry, I really wanted to like this, but it’s just so painfully cheesy and ultra positive.  Now, it has grown on me a bit since I originally heard it.  But this one is just a little too simple for me.  Sure, it has some really catchy synths, and this driving beat is great.  But the simplicity of this album’s lyrics has caught up to this so quickly.  But, it’s refreshingly optimistic for this era of Indie Rock, that in that respect it’s really sweet.  But man, I just wish this wasn’t so tossed together.  Thankfully, “All Some Frenchman’s Joke” is just the sort of warm, homey finale that I wanted to hear.  It’s just so cozy but still remains just as incredibly vast and cinematic as some of the longest tracks here.  Here, John is right back to write these very succinct lines fueled by glorious imagery.  It’s beautiful, stunning, and just so simple and obvious.  And not only that, but it’s one of the shortest tracks here, by far.  But it works, and just reminds us that Wild Pink still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. 

Rating: 7.9/10

Give A Listen To: “Burger Hill”, “Lake Erie”, “There Is A Ledger”, “All Some Frenchman’s Joke”

Least Favorite Track: “The Seance On St. Augustine”

Genre: Indie Rock / Americana / Heartland Rock 

Overall Thoughts:  This is a vast improvement and a gigantic change of pace for Wild Pink.  They’ve gone from what was basically a Power Pop band to worshipping the War On Drugs sound.  And I mean that in the best way.  There are tons of power chords here, passionate vocal performances as well as some of warmest synths you’re going to hear this year.  Not to mention the songwriting on here more times than not is seriously classy.  Simple, but filled with tons of imagery, and unbearably classy.  There are a few tracks here and there that sort of blend in with one another, and some of the later moments are a little bland.  But hell, I’m excited about the future of this band. 

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