Formed in 2008, in California, United States by singer-songwriter Nathan Williams along with current members Alex Gates (guitar, backing vocals), Stephen Pope (bass, backing vocals), and Brian Hill (drums, backing vocals), Wavves has, so far, released five studio albums from 2008’s self-titled offering to 2015’s V. The common denominating sound observable in all these albums is made of the melange of scruffiness of the guitars, noisy ambience, steady basslines, straightforward drumming style, and angsty vocal delivery. One may think of that area somewhere in between Punk Rock and Grunge.
Released on October 2, 2015, V is the latest, fifth album of Wavves. In the eleven tracks that amount to roughly half an hour, it will take the listener to a whirlwind trek to Pop Punk galore of often-bitter lyrical themes set on cheery and upbeat music. Well, that is typical of the genre anyway. As how many music enthusiasts now know, Punk music is basically and usually all about angst, frustrations, and pain veiled with a poppy and happy musical facade, and Wavves’ music is a contemporary example of that. V opens with the Garage Rock feel of “Heavy Metal Detox,” which sounds like a clashing combination of The Strokes (“Someday”) and The Libertines (“Can’t Stand Me Now”). “Way Too Much” is another explosive rocker in this vein; and despite what Vocalist Williams was insinuating in his lyrics, the band seems unable to contain its frenetic energy. The vibe turns subtle as “Pony” plays on; with the song’s clean-sounding guitar arpeggios that lead its entire instrumentation, the listener gets a chance to peak at the band’s Indie Pop sensibilities. “All the Same” follows with a sugar outburst of Pop Punk, reminiscent of the early works of Senseless Things (“In Love Again”). The tempo shifts to hyperdrive with the throbbing beat of “My Head Hurts.”
The bass-driven Punk sensibilities of “Redlead” harks to the pioneers of the genre; as examples, The Exploited (“Cop Cars”), The Vandals (“Urban Struggle”), and Social Distortion (“Mommy’s Little Monster”). The next song, the midtempo “Heart Attack,” is an intake of deep breath after the gasping slew of lightning tracks; only to return to the grating guitars of “Flamezesz.” Interestingly, the Grunge ditty “Wait” is a deadringer of Foo Fighters’ “Monkey Wrench.” Finally, V closes with the subtle dancey stomper “Tarantula.”
Contrary to the laments of many critics and mainstream-oriented music fans, today’s pool of Alternative Rock bands is as diverse as that of any given decade or era. This should be actually unsurprising especially to a music enthusiast who has an all-genre-embracing sense of appreciation. If contemporary Alternative Pop/Rock has its softer and graceful side, as represented by groups like Broods (“Never Gonna Change”), Best Coast (“Feeling Ok”), and Echosmith (“Cool Kids”); it also has a harder and aggressive side, and Wavves is one of those that exemplify this – gruffy, grungy, and garagey, but still mild, mellow, and melodic to some degrees. CrypticRock gives V 4 out of 5 stars.
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