If you grew up as a emotional teen in the 00’s, your favourite producer of heartbroken acoustic loveliness will have most definitely been Dashboard Confessional. This decade though, it’s This Wild Life. 14’s brilliant full length debut ‘Clouded’ set in motion a million break up recoveries and a million more long awaited first kisses and set the band en route to emo stardom. It’s with their sophomore effort ‘Low Tides’ that they will either sink or swim and it’s a good thing they brought trunks.
’Low Tides’ sees This Wild Life venturing even further with their sound than ever before. Where in the past there were acoustic guitars, simple drums and occasional keys, now there are electric guitars, deep set electronics and beautifully slumbering atmospheres to fall in love with. What hasn’t changed is the all too relatable subject matter that the band have such a rich and personal grasp on.
Probing even more at their own heartbroken pasts and difficult presents with a tenderness and passion many can match, Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grosso put their hearts on a plate so everyone can relate in whatever way they see fit.There’s also a level of maturity that has never been on show before. Gone is the bitterness and jealousy of teenage angst. In its place is an acceptance in things not always working out the way you want them to. Knowledge that if you truly love someone you should let them go and not live in pain. It makes for more of a touching and personal listen and one that lingers long after its final notes have been played.
This Wild Life have transcended their own self-made grief and matured into something more than just a vessel for all your post-relationship anxieties. ‘Low Tides’ is no less heartbreaking than you would come to expect, but there is much more depth and thought than the band’s previous efforts that it is hard to ignore and even harder to not become obsessed with. Probably best to not listen to it if you got dumped yesterday though.
4/5
‘Low Tides’ by This Wild Life is released on 9th September on Epitaph Records.
This Wild Life links: Facebook|Twitter
Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)
