Wild Pink

Good Life EP

Written by: TL on 10/08/2015 19:40:04

One record that's somewhat overdue for review is the EP "Good Life" from New York City trio Wild Pink, which came out at the end of June. Not that the band initially seems like they're close to being the next big anything quite yet. Their facebook page looks like that of a tiny band just starting out and if there's an obvious flaw to the EP, it is that the band's style is hard to pinpoint. It has the romantic sound of a polished yet still audibly grassroots level release, but then so does a ton of other underground punk rock bands these days. "Good Life" is not a particularly punk EP though, operating at medium tempo more often than it is upbeat and with a slightly more understated energy.

The first song, "Is This Hotel Haunted?" gets going quickly though, with a recognisable little riff setting up some vocals that are catchier than they let on, then letting loose with anthemic, driving chord movements that sound a tiny bit like Japandroids or Titus Andronicus. The EP's title track follows, soon taking the pace down to a ceremonious mid-tempo, but this only allows for the characteristic vocals to shine with a storytelling quality that is perhaps the band's best asset. Bands like The Smith Street Band and even Bright Eyes come to mind when listening here, and the EP's central lyrics latch on, letting the listener know that there's reason to dig deeper here: "With all the things you might have taken tonight, I'm not convinced that you want to be alive, and I, I want a good life!"

After the first two tracks however, it does become increasingly clear that the band's songcraft is a bit rudimentary at this point, often giving you the feeling that the songs stop a bit suddenly, as if the band couldn't see how to take them any further and thus decided to leave them as they were. You lack that feeling of having listened to a carefully balanced and finished song the way you do with for instance The Hotelier or Captain, We're Sinking - bands that both come to mind as well while listening to Wild Pink, although the mood on "Good Life" is, as mentioned, a lot more downplayed, as if the band is more like a retro, pop-rock version of something like Run Forever or Tigers Jaw.

Ultimately there are stretches in particularly "True Detectives" where the guitar signature feels like it gets too much room, but conversely there are also parts where the vocals sound like the kind of thing you'd want to build a small indie-rock legend on. So it seems best to give these boys some early benefit of the doubt and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming releases to show if they develop their potential further.

7

Download: Good Life, Is This Hotel Haunted?
For The Fans Of: The Smith Street Band, Run Forever, Tigers Jaw
Listen: facebook.com/wildpinkwildpink

Release date 30.06.2015
Texas Is Funny Records

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