Album Review: Wavves - V
By Jonathan Fuchs, Contributor
[Warner Bros.; 2015]
Rating: 3/5
Key Tracks: “Way Too Much,” “Pony,” “My Head Hurts”
Stoner surf-rock band Wavves is not a band known for their original sound or intelligent lyrics, but they’re loved by fans and critics alike for their catchy songs, lo-fi distortion, and Nathan Williams’ distinct vocals.
However, on their fifth album V, Wavves ditches their lo-fi production for a cleaner sound and gets rid of their use of synths to focus on a more classic distorted punk atmosphere. While every song here is fun and true to the sound Wavves is famous for, the album as a whole is pretty bland, and leaves the listener craving more than what they got.
The first half of the album starts off strong with songs that give off a similar sound to their previous album, Afraid of Heights. Each song is filled with energy and gets the listener bobbing in their seat the entire time. The lyrics on songs like “Heavy Metal Detox” and “My Head Hurts” are very similar to Wavves’ past lyrical content and are fun to listen to, despite the lack of complexity.
Unfortunately, many songs on the second half of the album are redundant and forgettable. The instrumentals on songs like “Heart Attack,” “Wait,” and “Cry Baby” are weak and Williams’ vocals are annoying and scratchy, making the songs very hard to get through. The second half provides most of the flaws of V by taking what sounded good already and stretching it out to the point of exhaustion. However, the album does close well with the song “Fast Ice,” an acoustic song with lovely melodies and interesting vocal layers.
Although this anticipated album is a little underwhelming and nowhere as good as previous albums like Afraid of Heights and King of the Beach, V is still true enough to the band’s original sound to enjoy all the way through, and does contain a few of Wavves’ best songs.
