Striking whilst the iron’s still hot, Wild Nothing return with an even more mature take on the 80s alt-pop sound which has inspired their past album releases such as ‘Nocturne’ (2012) and ‘Indigo’ (2018).
The latter was an immense journey into hi-fi, a glittery sonic gloss rich with soaring guitars and killer snare hits to drive any Gabriel, Bush and Cure fan crazy.
With their tour for ‘Indigo’ in full swing, and an exciting date at Manchester’s own YES on the horizon, Tatum once again delivers a powerful and dark track in “Blue Wings”; a mouthwatering starter which holds within bucketloads of euphoric live potential.
Coming in at 3 minutes and 45 seconds, “Blue Wings” is an extension of the ‘Indigo’ mantra of slick, cool production with hard hitting choruses. The bass line in particular lends itself to this code of conduct, sounding like it came from the fingers of a flannel shirted teenage heart throb from a John Hughes movie.
The synths are also trademark of Wild Nothing’s arsenal, slightly off kilter yet never failing to keep up with the positive changes in chords and tone of the musical narrative. The recent addition of more prominent saxophone is also present, which is welcomed with open, loving and extremely grateful arms.
As for the lyrical content, it’s hard to tell. To be honest I enjoy Wild Nothing for the sound rather than the words. Despite lyrics from classic Tatum songs like ‘Only Heathe’, ‘A Dancing Shell’ and many others constantly spewing from my gob whilst doing the dishes, the music resonates hard; possibly harder than any other band. ‘Blue Wings’ is no different, the tight production and savagely cool musicianship are enough to whisk anyone away to another plain, possibly even Shermer, Illinois… if you understand my dribble.
Although the title sounds like a dodgy new chicken shop opening soon near you, it’s another certified cloudlike banger cut from the ‘Indigo’ cloth, and although it didn’t feature on the album itself, it’s clear Tatum and his current Wild Nothing recruits aren’t finished with this particular vein of 80s dream pop.
Wild Nothing: Blue Wings – out now
WILD NOTHING PLAY YES (THE PINK ROOM) ON 11TH FEBRUARY
Liverpool born music writer with passion for punk and Everton FC
