I was so resistant to Instagram for so long. I honestly had no good reason for it other than I am sick of being so connected all the time and in so many different ways but I’ve finally found Instagram’s place in my life. That place is finding amazing new music from bands that don’t have the PR companies behind them like Idle Wave. I got a random message from this band and I instantly fell in love with them. I’ve heard snippets of their music and it intrigued me but I’ve been waiting to check out their brand new album until now. The anticipation has been killing me so why wait any longer?
‘Party Guy’ starts with “Home” which has a hollow but perfect sound. The guitar has a very strummy tone that I feel like artists try to avoid but it really adds a rawness to this track that matches the tender lyrics in the perfect way. Although the track gets a little beefier as the drums come on, there’s still something very sweet and raw about this track that is absolutely infectious. That infectious feeling continues with “Happy” which has a much more polished sound and instantly reminded me of Brand New (who happens to be one of my all-time favorites). The sensitivity laid out in “Home” also continues through this song in an absolutely gorgeous way. Sure, you could call this music depressing and emo but even if that’s not your typical cup of tea, I feel like there is still a take away from this track and its beauty.
“Happy” moves into “Stay” in a perfect way. Although the songs have a very similar feeling, it’s clear that this is a new song. I love when musicians are able to do such a smooth but apparent transition like this because it just solidifies a sound that can only be described as “theirs” and, by this third track, it’s clear what the sound of Idle Wave is. That sound is pure tenderness and beauty that is impossible to not get lost in and it’s because of that that I was so lost I almost missed the transition into “Diet” which starts off with a familiar feeling guitar strum sound before the vocals come in. The vocals take a crisper sound for this song whereas they felt a little echoey on the previous tracks. This new vocal style made this song an instant favorite of mine. I feel like although you can feel the emotion and weight of each word in all of these songs, they hit a little bit harder during this one.
Although still on the slower and more calm side of things, there’s a sense of energy that comes through on “Space” that made this yet another favorite of mine. The drums have a bit more power in this track while the rest of the band keeps doing what they have proven they do so well in the previous tracks. There are definitely swells and falls throughout this track but I like that, even with those swells, the tenderness is still there. I was a little surprised when the band really amped up about halfway through this track with a screaming guitar part before falling back into neutral. Again- even with this giant swell and even some white noise-styled effects behind everything, the beauty of this track can not be ignored.
“All Night” seems to take this album back to the very calming vibe laid out on the first couple of tracks but, again, being that Idle Wave has such a distinct style, it’s not a shock nor a surprise. What was a surprise was the contrast of “All Night” to “My End” but it was a good surprise. With being the second to last track, I was expecting “My End” to be a more somber song but it hits a bit harder like “Diet”. Honestly, the album could have ended on this track and it would have been a perfect ending but I still had one last song before this journey ended.
“Sex Tape” ends this album with a bitter tongue and I mean that in a good way. There’s an edge to this track that I wish I had heard throughout the previous tracks but was thankful it had been saved for this last track. This was a favorite track of mine because of this edge and the way Idle Wave is able to pull it off while still keeping in the realm of sound that they do so well. Although I thought that “My End” would have been the perfect ending to this album, I’m thankful that “Sex Tape” was because it kept me wanting so much more from this band.
My Favorite Track(s): “Diet”; “Space”; “Sex Tape”
For Fans Of: Tender and emo vibes; Hidden Power; Raw lyrics
Daydream-ability: 6 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Artie laid on my desk right next to my computer; Autumn slept upstairs
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 7 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 7.8 out of 10
Check Out Idle Wave Here:
Shameless Self Promotion- Donate Here To Keep This Blog Alive!
Check Out My New Playlist With All of My Favorite Songs HERE!
Leave a Reply