The Lonely Wild – The Sun As It Comes

397270352-1Rating: ★★★★☆

Though this band hails from L.A, you may have caught them somehow in your slew of SXSW shows this year. However, if you didn’t, not to fret, this band is an up and comer that will be hard to miss in time to come. Born in 2010 as the project of Andrew Carroll, The Lonely Wild released an EP that generated them some fame in their local scene, but their first full length, The Sun As It Comes, is here to stick this band on your radar.

This album is one that grabs your attention the instant you put it on. First, song, title track, and possibly one of the best tracks I’ve heard this year, “The Sun As It Comes” is a cathartic build up of folksy beginnings to a fiery finish. What starts as hair distant but powerful feminine “Oohs” accompanied by soft plucking of guitars transitions to the hair raising harmonies of Carroll and Jessie Williams, as they take you on an eerie journey of storytelling. All the while, the electric guitar gradually pushes itself into your listening spectrum and demands attention. Then, suddenly, Williams has gone back to the background vocals and Carroll’s Conor Oberst-meets-Ben Gibbard voice is screaming at you in frenzy. Such songs of gentle intrigue, along with outright fire, are to be found and enjoyed on this album.

The Lonely Wild have a lot of things going for them on this first full length release aside from a great opening track. Additionally, the songwriting on all of the songs here is engaging, apt, and relevant, serving as the icing on the cake to the sonically delightful music that this band doles out, track after track. By yhe third track, this band proudly shows you that they mean serious business, and aren’t shying away from creative details. Take “Everything You Need” as another example of an exemplary song that can be found here. Once again you have the dual vocals of Carroll and Williams, but wait, what’s that? Horns?! And an outright jamming beat from the start? What more can you want?

If your answer to that rhetorical question was a variety of tracks that transcend genres and bridge the gaps between rock and folk then look no further—The Lonely Wild has you covered. From start to finish, they hook you and then close the deal too, sealing it with their glorious harmonies and effortless likability. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen; you won’t want to be the last one to hear this band!