“Only good things matter in the end.”
The fresh, vintage pop-rock band Wiretree commences their fourth album with a call to arms for all of us to “Get up!,” feel alive and celebrate, with the notion that “only good things matter in the end.” Create a positive world around you, create the music you want to listen to. Singer-songwriter, and mastermind behind the band, Kevin Peroni says, “The album before, I tried using only one producer, I let the band members push the music to more of a rocking sound, and that was good for the time, but it made me want to get back to the roots of how I hear music in my head. I think this new album is one of the most revealing in terms of how I hear and create music in my head.”
I can’t help but feel that the compilation of tracks tells a story, or at least creates a montage of images from a young person’s life; it’s an amalgamation of ideas and sentiments for young people finding their way. Each track offers a completely new sound, without the transition being jarring or unwanted. Immediately following “Get Up” is “Marching Band,” a poppy ballad that feels almost directly plucked from an early Beatles album. (But who doesn’t appreciate when someone can emulate their sound? From Jake Bugg to Tame Impala, you hear new artists dabbling in completely different aspects of the most successful, influential band of all time – it’s fun and timeless, and makes me smile to hear Wiretree doing it so successfully too).
Several other tracks have notable moments that play to the Ode to Youth theme. “So Bold” talks about your “freaking brain going down the gutter,” trying to concentrate or sleep, but feeling cold and alone. “Take Us Away” reminds me of something the Shins might have written about a decade ago, a track that highlights instrumental sections and vocals you can sing along with. “Don’t know what you’re going to be / don’t know what you’re going to see” is literally the truth of youth, as so much lies ahed of you. “To the Moon” begins with the age old sentiment that “all things will pass” making it almost sound like a promise to teens. But then it unexpectedly flows away from the deliciously angsty lyrics into two minutes of minimal lyrics and guitar solo, solidifying that even within this common pop music theme, Wiretree is unique and unpredictable.
The final track on Get Up, “When You Were Young”, is their anthem to youth and the possibilities that lie before you. “When you were young / there’s something inside of you / When you were young there’s nothing you couldn’t do.” This sums up why I feel that this album release is so poignantly timed for the fall: the beginning of a new year for youth (remember, they follow the academic year…), all the possibilities, all the potential for change. Wiretree’s true-to-self fourth album takes you on a journey from that first call-to-arms for taking initiative in your life, through pain, loss of confidence, and finally a psalm to juvenescence.
Wiretree is playing this Saturday, September 21st at The Parish Underground.
– Bailey Cool