Athens, GA-based five-piece Wanderwild combines the best of the 2000s garage rock revival with a healthy dose of modern pop sensibilities. Their thoughtful brand of indie rock references bands like Spoon and Young The Giant, while simultaneously paying homage to NYC classics like Interpol and The Strokes. Frontman Matt Martin is the touring bass player for COIN, as well as a frequent producer and drummer for Faye Webster. The band writes and records all of their music at their home studio in Athens.
After Fleeting (2016) and In Due Time (2017), the band released the focused and refined Sleep Tight, Socialite in 2019. That year also solidified the band’s lineup, with Taylor Cotton, Wes Gregory, Reagan Byrd and Alec Stanley joining Martin for each step of the creative process. The band began touring in support of Sleep Tight, sharing bills with artists like COIN, Dayglow, and Colony House, establishing the band as a must-see live act. Doorway found the band partnering with a label for the first time, releasing the single through the Warner Music imprint Taste and Tone. The band released three more singles in early 2020 before getting back to work on their upcoming full length, due in 2021.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the music video for the band’s new single “I’ll Be Right There.” What hits you right away about the energetic track is the similarities to groups like The Strokes and Doves, but there is also plenty of originality that comes through in the group’s infectious harmonies and the shimmering flourishes of synth that seem to elevate the tune from that early 2000s garage rock sound to a more modern indie pop sound. There is plenty of crooning, big guitar riffs, and danceable beats to make this a euphoric and soaring rocker that is over before you know it. The song also demonstrates Wanderwild’s potential for catching on with the mainstream while being the kind of band that still maintains a hip and respectable status among tastemakers. The video also manages t capture where the band is coming from musically with its use of slick fashion and super 8 film.
Matt Martin (frontman, guitarist) describes the inspiration and process behind the song and the video:
“I’ll Be Right There” is a simple love song. It’s about getting out of your own way, so that you can move towards greater connectedness with your partner. It’s about speaking plainly and acting swiftly.
For the chorus, I was inspired by classic crooners like Frank Sinatra. His lyrics and melodies are direct and timeless — they avoid too much showiness or drama, and have an understated simplicity. They have that nursery rhyme quality that we all love.
I was also rediscovering Antisocialites by Alvvays around the time we wrote IBRT. The writing and arrangements on that record are so brilliant. They specifically influenced the synth parts we wrote, providing an important counter melody in the chorus.
The music video takes advantage of the movement and motion inherent to the song title. We shot it on my wife’s family farm property in Wadley, GA. The army Jeep we used (nicknamed the green bean) is from the Vietnam War. The band performance shots were filmed underneath a small airplane hanger, and the night shots were lit using our car headlights. Beyond those elements of motion, we wanted to shoot a music video in the classic 90’s/2000’s sense, with the simple premise of a band performing their song. Of course, we had to maintain the use of super 8 film established by our Do The Work video. Our own Reagan Byrd directed and edited it once again, with Gabe Cuomo and Emily Dingus handling the filming.
WATCH:
