You’re never too old to rebel
The new This Wilderness album Sorry About Tomorrow is two aging punks’ apology from one generation to the next. This Wilderness is a New York/New Jersey-based electro-punk duo between Robert O. Leaver and Cop Shoot Cop’s Jim Coleman. The duo comes through with some very interesting and experimental electro punk. The production and vocal performances have an amateur “bedroom made” feel, but the duo’s creativity and mesh of heavy synthy trip-hop with eccentric and theatrical vocal performances is engrossing.
The intro “Full Time Women” is just okay. The beat programming, sound design and melodies are dry. The drum machine is lacking punch, and the synth bass is too loud and high pitched. The vocal performance from Leaver, while full of personality and oomph, is tedious and clunky. “Brdthrwr” is much better. The drums come in heavy and the punky, glitched out vocals fit perfectly under huge bass hits and distorted guitars. This great example of electro-punk kinda sounds like it’s trying to be a newer Death Grips track, but it stays in its own lane.
“P.O.N.K” is also a really fun track. Heavy trip-hop drums and huge synth bass keep the groove under some plucky synths. Vocals have the same theatrical feel of “Full Time Women” but aren’t as amateurish and are kind of in key this time. The way Leaver yells and the way he sings is pretty unique and a bit experimental. The lyrics are also punky and political, basically asking people of the west and of North Korea to rise above governments and dictators to come together to save the world.
“Lonely Woman” is a slow and dark ballad. The production is Death Grips/Nine Inch Nails influenced with glitchy effects, warped vocals and slow industrial beats. “Almost X” is bouncy and relaxed. The synth layering is atmospheric and the acoustic drum beat is funky. The vocals are very dynamic and Leaver does a good job of modulating his voice where it sounds like an improvisational jazz solo. “My Medication” is more excellent electro punk. Industrial beats and aggressive synths fit well with Leaver singing about existential woes and how his medication is “chewing holes in his gut and wearing down his soul.”
“Well” features great vocals and aggressive atmospheric synths, yet a beat switch at some point would have been nice. Next up, “Drop Dead” sounds like some old school IDM. The vocal effects, samples and grooves are on point. The vocals are hit and miss, but this track is a highlight. “The Verdict” is another experimental groovy banger. The vocals are well performed and the beat switch is super trippy. Synths are dark and robotic, and the bass is aggressive and driving. The album’s closer “D.O.G” or “Down on God,” is a low key ballad about the loss of religion and hope in a god. Tired of the guilt and shame that comes with religion, the beat gets more upbeat as Leaver goes on about looking at the scary existential questions of life in a more practical and humble way.
This Wilderness fill a nice niche in the electronic music field. The bedroom production, lo-fi aesthetic pairs well with the eccentric and improvisational vocal performances. The singing seems silly sometimes, but the lyrical content is political and takes on society, staying true to the bands punk roots. There are a couple weak tracks and it could have been more polished, but This Wilderness delivers a very entertaining debut.
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