These four Atlanta natives have a penchant for making complaining and criticism seem fun and positive. The Wild is a quartet made up of Kylee on drums, Dianna on vocals, Ben on bass and Steve on Banjo. Described by Asia Man Records as “four punks from Atlanta sing songs from the heart, à la Jason Anderson and Ghost Mice. Political, but not preachy. All members are quite active in their DIY community..” the group is not only making an impression in their own label, but also to a lot of indie music lovers online.
Set Yourselves Free includes 8 tracks that contain a mix of indie folk and pop music. Each track seems like a blissful serenade at first impression but when you listen closely, it’s actually filled with personal and relevant musings about life, people, relationships and politics. Cool album to check out.Although it’s still a relatively small niche, The Wild can be set as one band that’s not hesitant in creating a mix of folk and punk music into their sound.
This compilation opens with the title track Set Yourselves Free; a pop infused beat with banjo’s and harmonica mixing in with beautiful vocals. In the middle part, you get this country/honky tonk beat which is both quirky and entertaining. Be warned. The song creates a swelling desire to break into group barnyard dancing.
Meanwhile, The Saddest Thing I Ever Saw, is a cautious reflection of what once was and what is. Its chorus features lyrics like “cause the saddest thing i ever saw was a colorful neighborhood turn white, a vibrancy destroyed by greed, a neighborhood of falacy, development’s sacrifice…” The track is accompanied with a slow intro, upbeat/punk-ish singing with rhythmic drumming on certain parts. It’s essentially a complaint done in taste.
A personal favorite is the sing-song track, Dear Noah. There’s just enough punk and chanty vocals to make it interesting. You can still hear the DIY feel of the track [the entire album was recorded live on tape] which adds to the beauty of the song. It’s not immediately likable but once you hear it, you can tell that it’s something special.
Overall, the album is a must listen. Pretty cool indie folk punk album that exudes a feel of togetherness and raw energy. If you check out their Myspace, it lists down tons of concert and live show dates well into the new year. From the looks of things, there’s nowhere else to go but up for The Wild.
Related Links:
The Wild on Quoteunquote Records
The Wild on Myspace
The Wild on Wonder Root
The Wild on Punk News
The Wild on Usforacle
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