Wild Nothing Craft Confident Pop On ‘Life of Pause’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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Washed out is such a common aesthetic these days, it has practically become its own genre, and within that genre Wild Nothing have always stood out. With their latest record Life of Pause, they get a little more specific, though, keeping what was beautiful about their sound and giving it some new life and a bit of color beyond the typical shades of gray palette. Less of a raincloud than ever before, the band plays with their sound in a fun, exciting way on Pause.

Wild Nothing has always created the loveliest harmonies – delicate, balanced and fine – and they remain wholly intact on Pause whether against a tropical tinkling on “Reichpop” or a loud garage pop-rock guitar melody on “Japanese Alice” (one of the album’s best for its sweet throwback sound). The sounds on Pause are so varied, yet they never feel like they don’t belong on the same album. From the 1960s (A Woman’s Wisdom”) to the 1980s (“Whenever I” and “Alien”), outerspace (“Life of Pause”) and everything in between, their ability to be referential and still bring their own brand of cool to their music is what sets them apart. Elements of Bowie feel especially poignant, intentional or not.

The band seems to be having a bit of fun with their token darkness, saturating it a bit more than usual, particularly on the moody The Cure-esque “To Know You” and the Smiths-ish “TV Queen”.  And to hear them pare it down with a simple acoustic guitar arrangement on the trippy beauty “Adore” is a pleasing surprise that has magnificent hints of Paul McCartney.

Pause is as dreamy as we’ve come to expect from Wild Nothing, but the dreams are on steroids. They become nightmares as thoughtfully and beautifully as they turn into soaring, lush soundscapes. You can dance to the songs on Pause, and fully immerse yourself in them. Each one creates its own little Technicolor bubble of a world to live inside as you listen to it, and you may find you don’t want to leave them. Pause is Wild Nothing’s most realized, thrilling and confident album yet.

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