The Wrecks give us their very best with ‘Sonder’

Date:

Recommended Tracks:  “Sonder”, “Ugly Side”, “Normal”
Artists You May Like:  Bad Suns, Waterparks, The Maine

There are many impressive qualities to indie rock band The Wrecks, starting with the way they snuck into a studio to produce their debut EP, We Are The Wrecks.  From there, they continued to release songs that are as witty as they are honest, attracting many devoted fans.  While they did not get to tour and promote their 2020 debut album, Infinitely Ordinary, in a normal way, The Wrecks still were able to connect with fans and unleash their creativity.  After Infinitely Ordinary, they gave us single after single, EP after EP, and managed a few live streams and collaborations.  They have a knack for outdoing themselves with each project, and when frontman Nick Anderson described their sophomore album, Sonder, as their “best work yet,” he was not joking.

On Sonder, The Wrecks are as creative as ever, leaning into bold productions, genre-bending – wherever the music takes them.  We have tender indie moments with songs like “Where Are You Now?” with fuzzy vocals and expressive melodies or dramatic tracks like “I Love This Part,” which features slick drum patterns and Nick screaming his heart out.  One of the more complex tracks, though, is “Unholy,” as it offers various tempo and key changes and intricate layers of sound; just when you think you where it’s going, it switches its course.

As its core, though, Sonder is very much a product of The Wrecks.  As always, the lyrics are up-front and honest, as Nick pinpoints moments that are specific to him but can also be felt by others.  On the title track, for instance, he sings, “I thought by now / We would learn to work together / I thought somehow / We were changing for the better,” addressing someone no longer in his life.  Similarly, there’s “Dystopia,” where he mentions, “I never asked you to change your mind / I asked you to speak” and “We’re on our way to dystopia / I think our love is destroying us.”  Fans will also pick up on the band’s wit and humor with songs like “Ugly Side,” which features bright guitars and warm melodies to offset dismal lines such as “You could tell me I’m a loser / It happens all the time” and “I told you I saw us together / I never told you that I lied.”

Overall, the album is mostly breakup heavy, but there are tracks that venture outside of that realm.  There’s the observational “Don’t Be Scared,” which takes a look at the ongoing madness corrupting the world, and “Normal,” which finds Nick asking why it’s “so hard” for him to live a regular life “like everybody else does.”  Still, there are a couple of tracks that are not as broken or downhearted.  We have the carefree “No Place I’d Rather Be,” reminding us that love does not have to be so crushing or painful, and with the closing track “Lone Survivor,” Nick gets back up and carries on.

When previously speaking to us about Sonder, Nick mentioned that it is a driven and determined project.  We fully get this, as nothing sounds timid or unsure of itself.  Sonically, there is a confidence that comes through, as if the band does not care whether we listen to these songs or not.  Yet, The Wrecks really do care, especially when it comes to others, as any one of the tracks in this collection could resonate with any type of music fan.  In the end, the band has played to their strengths, giving us an album that can’t be beat.

You can listen to Sonder on platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.

Catch The Wrecks on their Better Than Ever tour here.

Keep up with The Wrecks:  Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok // Website

Christine Sloman
Christine Slomanhttps://linktr.ee/christine.sloman
Writer for Melodic Mag since 2018. Music lover since always.

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