For better or worse, Southern California punk band Wavves soundtracked my adolescence. By senior year of high school, I felt stifled by life in suburban Los Angeles and found refuge in grimy, underground rock venues that hosted the kind of scuzzy noise-rock that Wavves was once known for. A sweat-encrusted Wavves setlist – nabbed during my first-ever stage dive – is still taped to my childhood bedroom wall, and whenever I see it, I laugh at my angsty, teenage self.
Today, I am a (slightly) more mature person, but after a few spins of the new Wavves album Afraid of Heights, I find myself asking "What's my age again?"
Three years on, Wavves has undergone four line up changes, a fantastic sophomore album, an underwhelming EP and enough press to suffocate even the most levelheaded musician. No one has ever accused lead singer Nathan Williams of being "levelheaded," and yet, Afraid of Heights is a surprisingly focused, if safe effort. First single and lead track "Sail to The Sun" begins with a fuzzy tape loop and twinkling xylophone melody but quickly shifts to a more muscular take on Wavves' brand of skate-rat punk.
This juxtaposition between subtle instrumental flourishes and stomp box power chords continues through out the album, adding a depth previously absent from the group's work. Castanets and xylophone on the verse of "Demon to Lean On" play off the outsized guitar of The Blue Album-copping chorus. "Dog" prominently features tasteful cello, giving the relatively quiet song a distinctive Nirvana: Unplugged in New York feel.
Yet, the album is not without growing pains. The strange, electronic-tinged songs on the B-side 2010's LP King of the Beach are sorely missed, only showing up on the tuneless "Mystic."
Here, Williams allows his hip-hop side project Sweet Valley to bleed into his day job, but the initially intriguing yelping sample only yields a missed opportunity. Late album tracks "Everything Is My Fault" and "I Can't Dream" tread the same lackadaisical, reverb-soaked territory, and with the exception of "Cop," the album's back half breaks no new ground.
Thankfully, Afraid of Heights is not the sound of Wavves maturing. I imagine Afraid of Heights will perfectly soundtrack some suburban teen's senior year much like 2009's Wavves did mine.
And at my next Wavves show, I will be in the pit dancing right beside that 17-year-old enamored guy with the seemingly dangerous world just outside his front door. Growing up? Say it ain't so!
– By Jordan Francis
Read More
Trending
