By now, everyone is familiar with the stunning photos of California’s most recent Superbloom. It’s a spectacular occurrence that takes place after the heavy rainfall of Spring washes away the memories of the more dreary seasons, and a particularly wet winter allowed for 2023’s Superbloom to be one for the history books. Ironically, the cities of California like San Francisco and Los Angeles are plentiful with one of the uglier sides of America, homelessness. California has become a figurehead for the epidemic of Americans without proper shelter, creating a blatant contradiction to the scenic beaches and nature parks that grace postcards and Instagram posts from the state. A juxtaposition like this, the beauty of the natural versus the ugliness of reality, became the center focus for Parker Millsap’s latest album Wilderness Within You. Recorded right down the street from his Nashville home and produced by Ryan McFadden, the 13 songs on the LP find themselves in a similar place to those who may have traveled to see this year’s Superbloom, stunned by the beauty of it all but faced with the harshness of what is really going on.
The task of trying to make sense of the world is a futile one, Millsap explores the idea of acceptance without complacency on Wilderness Within You. The LP is centered around these opposing ideologies, the first half is an exercise in restraint as the artist stays rooted in his acoustic-driven arrangements and croons about loving the small things while the latter tracks put reality under a microscope and has Millsap imagining everything this world could become. A song like the gently fun “Front Porchin’ has the singer/songwriter relaxing with loved ones and indulging in life’s finest pleasures (beer and weed) regardless of the outside world. With only the comical “Find Out” separating them, the album takes a sharp turn with “Half A World Away”. On this particular song, Millsap ditches his Southern charm for industrial drums as he turns his attention to his violent curiosity about how the world works. The track features lyrics that question everything from the food we eat to the clothes we wear although it doesn’t feel like Millsap is looking for answers on Wilderness Within You.
Songs that explore heavy topics like the aforementioned “Half A World Away” and the field-recording-driven ballad “If We Would Let It” is followed by the optimistic “Magic”, which provides a needed breather for both the listener and Millsap. On the song, he doesn’t necessarily find the answers he’s looking for but lands on one nonetheless. His answer is to remember that there is only so much we can control and even the things we can’t can still provide a sense of wonderment to our lives. The track transports you to a babbling creek and forces you to stand in awe at the concept that the relaxing sounds of water splashing against stones are more soothing and poetic than anything man-made.
Along with fitting lofty concepts into short spurts of musical prowess, Millsap allowed himself to explore new sounds as well. “Half A World Away” features its heady drum pattern that is even a little off-kilter for the electronic world and “If We Would Let It” uses sounds of nature to add crunchy textures to the otherwise soothing melancholy of the piano. By exploring what can be controlled in his lyrics, Wilderness Within You allowed for a sense of freedom in other areas. Millsap’s curiosity is at the root of these arrangements, even his more traditional songs like “What You’ve Shown Me” introduce us to a new way for the artist to incorporate his church roots into his signature sound. By approaching this tracklist with fearless gusto, Parker Millsap created an album with twists and turns that all tie into the colorful world of an artist attempting to make sense of the nonsense through sweeping melodies and an expansive soundscape.
Much like California’s Superbloom, Parker Millsap’s sixth studio album is a thing of wonder. For just under an hour, you are welcomed into the contradictions that keep the artist up at night while still hearing Millsap explore his artistry in daring yet exemplary ways. Wilderness Within You leaves you with an uneasy feeling in the best way possible, you begin to question everything right before you enjoy the beauty of what is right in front of you. An album with such a bold concept can easily become disjointed, Millsap avoided that pitfall by stringing everything together with the acceptance that, individually, we won’t solve the world in a day. Find a nice view, press play, and let Parker Millsap do the pondering, as no one has done it so beautifully.
