Wild Nothing - "Indigo"

Wild Nothing is the Dream Pop project of Jack Tatum.  They've been at it for almost 10 years now, dishing out very Jangly, retro-tinged Indie Pop, and making it look easy.  Now, with Wild Nothing's debut album "Gemini", the band quickly got their sound down to a science.  The band used a lot of very hazy atmosphere's that you would honestly hear a lot of in the Chillwave genre, but also had the urgency of a band like Beach Fossils or the early days of Cloud Nothings.  But what made Wild Nothing stick out was their big, beefy, retro synths that were ripped kicking and screaming out of 1984.  But it really worked for Wild Nothing and ended up giving them an incredibly unique sound.  Wild Nothing returned in 2012 with "Nocturne", an album that for the most part, really didn't venture too far from what Jack was doing on his debut with the project.  But, he brought in cleaner production, as well as some incredibly catchy songwriting. Tracks like "Disappear Always" and "Only Heather" were just so instantaneous and likable, Wild nothing were on a roll.  Jack returned in 2016 with "Life of Pause", which was clearly his most polished and well-produced album.  And at first this one sort of slipped by me, but over time I've been able to enjoy it more.  I also really love some of the risks Jack took here with the punky "Japanese Alice", the epic and heartfelt "To Know You", and the title track "Life of Pause" which sort of branched out into Chillwave.  So Wild Nothing has returned after a few years.  And yes, they're more Pop-focused than ever, and absolutely more clean sounding than ever.  And yes, that's not a good sign.  But my god, Jack was born to write a fucking pop song let me tell you.  Let's talk.

 This album starts off on a ridiculously high note with “Letting Go”. This is far from the hazy Bedroom Pop of “Gemini”. But damn you Jack, whoever taught you how to write a Pop tune can pat themselves on the back. This is just such a catchy, carefree and sweet Indie Pop and Dream Pop tune. The chorus soars, and the synths that just pop in to tie things together are the perfect throwback moment. It’s way too catchy for its own good, even if it is on the cheesy side. I mean, yea, the production is super clean. But for now, it’s in my good graces. “Oscillation” on the other hand brings in some more live instrumentation in some backing strings and a plethora of strummed guitars. And yes, that just sort of drives home the fact that Wild Nothing isn’t the charming Bedroom Pop act that they once were. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, every band needs to progress. I would say more than anything I do miss the simplicity of some of the band’s early work. But, this is still an incredibly sharp Indie Pop tune. But if I had to nitpick, which I do, I feel like the chorus is a little underwhelming. We have so much great buildup throughout, but it’s just so flat when we get to the chorus. But outside of that, this is great. “Partners in Motion” on the other hand shows us Wild Nothing sticking to what they know, throwback Pop tunes. This one has some of the coolest vibes of the entire album, with some strangely funky guitars and some groovy drums. And as far as Jack’s performance goes, this is easily one of his more passionate performances in a while. We have these really mysterious synths and guitar licks, in every way this track is both familiar to Wild Nothing fans but also really ballsy. For an experiment though, this works really well. I love just how steamy the sax is and how mysterious this one is in general. And even though this is a completely synthetic track, there's a stunning amount of emotion. Then we have “Wheel of Misfortune” which is a real change of pace that I’m not completely sold on. This one shows Jack strip down the synths and the retro-charm of it all to for a sort of quaint Indie-Pop tune. And yea, it’s a hell of a mixed barrel. I don’t think the instrumental is terrible, it’s actually really catchy in parts. And believe it or not, that chorus is just as expertly crafted as just about every other track here. But some of the verses here just tend to come off so safe. I’m down with Jack making his tracks more quaint and personal, I really am. However, this is a little too much, and he ends up coming off a little too conversational on these verses.

Now, “Shallow Water” takes some back steps on getting the Synth situation in order.  But man, everything else about this track is just so boring.  I feel like Jack’s songwriting is falling apart in a way, or at least he’s focusing way too hard on the more important things.  Once again, these verses are just so safe, and more importantly stiff.  Wild Nothing was once a very carefree project for Jack, but now this is so straightforward.  Once again, Jack pulls a seriously well-written chorus practically out of thin air.  But still, even with a powerhouse for a chorus, this track is bland.  But “Through Windows” really does start to get things back in the right direction with some interesting instrumental shifts, like some upbeat and soulful saxophones. Here, at the very least I feel like Jack wrote a complete song for a change.  There’s something nagging me though.  Like, this is a totally fine, catchy Indie Pop track that I dig plenty.  But why do I get an almost Vintage Pop feel from this?  Like, not even 80’s more like 60’s, at least in Jack’s performance.  However, I do really love the vibes of this track and the much more upbeat and soaring sound.  But between this slow pace and dreary atmosphere, this just doesn’t come off like a Wild Nothing track at all.  I do think the Sax once again does add a TON and the very dark atmosphere of this one is a shocking twist.  I don’t really know how to feel with this one honestly.  I do like how genuinely heavier this one is, and it’s absolutely the darkest thing Jack has ever touched.  Even lyrically, he just seems so God Damn dangerous.  But with all of this, Jack ends up giving up just how genuinely catchy most of his material is.  It’s got a lot of good elements to it, but some bad as well, like this entire album.  And like, I see what he was going for with his “Dollhouse” track, and I can’t deny it’s a very mysterious, compelling interlude.  But it also could have been a whole lot more. 

Oh boy, with “Canyon On Fire” things start to get ugly, especially the guitars.  What the hell was Jack thinking with this one?  Like, yea, eventually they do straighten up.  But here, Jack seems to have the exact opposite problem as opposed to the last few tracks.  This one has some of Jack’s more passionate and interesting verses here.   But instrumentally I’m scratching my head.  These guitars are just not flattering at all outside of that guitar hook that follows the chorus.  Outside of that, all of this is just so sloppy and seems like it was mixed horribly.  I can’t imagine how bad this project would have been if Jack couldn’t write a Pop tune.   But “Flawed Translation” at the very least seems to be what Jack does best.  Meaning, throwback Pop tunes with some really classy modern twists.  Hell, I really do think those strings are a fantastic touch, and Jack on vocals here dishes out his most passionate performance in ages.  It’s emotional, it’s sweet, and really the perfect depiction of this more mature sound he’s been going for this entire album.  But it also has a really fantastic timeless feel that reminds me of so many things I once loved about Jack’s music.  This album ends off with “Bend”, one of the slower tunes in a while.  Like, the pacing here is actually really exciting.  But I just feel like this is a little anti-climactic.  The verses here once again are just so safe, but Jack seems to be able to snap out of it to write a truly fantastic hook.  Like, the very visual verses are just fine.  But Jack doesn’t sound like he’s giving tracks like this his full attention.  This entire album is unfocused. 

Rating: 7.0/10

Give A Listen To: ‘Letting Go”, “Partners In Motion”, “Through Windows”, “Flawed Translation”

Least Favorite Track: “Canyon of Fire”

Genre: Dream Pop / Indie Pop / Synth Pop 

Overall Thoughts:   “Indigo” has so much potential to be just as timeless and wonderful for the Dream and Indie Pop world as Wild Nothing’s first few releases.  But for the first time ever, I can’t really excuse just how genuinely unfocused Jack sounds.  A few too many times here, he comes through with a brilliant hook and some tasteful throwback instrumentals, but then comes through with a failed experiment or some genuinely boring verses.  This could have been so classy because when this is the Mature album that Jack had in mind it’s special.  But it’s dreadfully unfocused and just plain stiff at times.