Wussy came my way a few months back and are now as special to me as sunny days are to the Irish. I can’t get enough of them. From their debut ‘Funeral Dress’ to the most recent, and the subject of today’s review, ‘Forever Sounds’, Wussy have told tales of love, hardship and sometimes, The Big Lebowski. Their sound is sometimes indie rock, as unkempt as a teenagers bedroom, sometimes folk rock, soft on the ear and as lyrically deep as a bottomless bit, and sometimes it’s noise/art rock, distorted, confused and wild. ‘Forever Sounds’ is an eclectic mix of each, brought together under the roof of Ultrasuede Studies in Ohio.
This is heavy album compared to many of its predecessors. Wussy are lovers of the electric guitar, whereas many bands might take a break and switch it up, Wussy continue on their quest built of riffs and solos to the promise land. They come straight in with this sound on ‘Dropping Houses’, take it up a notch on ‘She’s Killed Hundreds’ and hit new heights somewhere in ‘Sidewalk Sale’. There remains a freedom through Wussy’s records and even though many of the tracks on ‘Forever Sounds’ tick all the boxes of conventional rock, they do so while still retaining the sound that their fans love. Whether it’s Cleaver or Walker belting out lyrics in their wonderfully natural voices, creating vivid memories of life’s many ups and downs, the drive to deliver honest music never ceases. ‘Majestic-12’ speaks volumes for what Wussy are all about. Walker hasn’t sounded so sincere in many previous tracks and that’s what makes her so believable. I’ve read some reviews where Wussy tracks such as ‘Majestic-12’ have been slated and I really don’t get it. What more do you want? Auto-tune, some effects?
The record as a whole doesn’t really have a continuous sound in my opinion, apart from the obvious rock sound(duh). You can hear what I mean in ‘Hello, I’m a Ghost’, a song that really only relies on its noise to set it apart. Overall however, this is a beautiful rock record that I can’t find many faults in. I have the notion that this record could be played almost anywhere, because it’s sound is so accessible.
Wussy have just released their latest record, ‘What Heaven Is Like‘ and they’re also on tour. Sadly, they won’t be coming to Ireland but if you have the chance to see them, please do. Do it for me, just don’t enjoy it too much…
G.M
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