There’s something cinematic about Wild Pink’s new EP, ‘4 Songs’, which serves as another tentative step towards world domination by John Ross’ sensitive indie-rockers.
Following last year’s well-received ‘Good Life’ EP, ‘4 Songs’ serves as a teaser for next year’s feted full-length as well as an appropriate stop-gap for those eager to see what Ross and Co have been up to over the last 18 months. More diverse and grander in scope than its predecessor, ‘4 Songs’ is also more confident, striking out in numerous new directions and enriching the palette from which Wild Pink paint.
And, even though ‘4 Songs’ is all-too-brief, it possesses some wonderful moments of poise and grace, as well as some flashes that are all together more pointed.
Opener ‘4th of July’ might just be one of the most spectacularly elegant songs you’ll hear all year, Ross’ hushed tones and a weaving, repetitious guitar line working insidiously together, willing you to listen again and again. It could work in a film, where the romantic lead gets hit with that moment of realisation and it would feel triumphant, or it could sit over the closing credits and make you awash with melancholy. It’s a stunning moment and just a glimpse of how great Wild Pink are.
‘Fall Semester’, another slice of autumnal indie-rock, retains much of the spirit of the previous EP, yet is considerably more refined, sitting between the muted tones of ‘4th of July’ and the outstanding indie-rock of ‘Good Life’s’ ‘Is This House Haunted?’ Again, it has the ability to move your feet and shake your soul, but is undoubtedly life-affirming as it does so.
And while these two songs are recognisably Wild Pink, the remaining two cuts point at wider influences that may come into play in next year’s full-length. With nods to grunge and alt-rock more generally, ‘The Believer’ is downbeat and bruising encounter, frayed and frazzled but still toe-tappingly infectious, while ‘Forlim Chop’ plays loose with genre conventions to make one of Wild Pink’s most progressive indie-pop songs to date.
After the release of a stellar EP in 2015, the best thing about ‘4 Songs’ is that it proves the stunning ‘Good Life’ was no fluke. Instead, it cements Wild Pink’s position as one of the next potential indie-rock breakout acts, with enough broad appeal to make a lasting and permanent mark on those who fall under their bewitching spell.
4.5/5
’4 Songs’ EP by Wild Pink is released on October 7th on Tiny Engines.
Wild Pink links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Rob Mair @BobNightMair)
