"Wavvves" Review

With Wavves's newest album "Afraid of Heights" recently becoming one of pop music's Cool New Things, I think it only makes sense to try and catch up with some of their older stuff. And I don't just mean King of the Beach. "Wavvves" is the second album by Wavves, when Wavves was just Nathan Williams recording songs on a computer at his parents' house. It like "Wavves" is another burst of uber-fuzzed noise-pop with random pieces of electronica thrown in because Who really gives a fuck? Songs include themes of "pizza and skateboards", weed, isolation, ennui, loneliness, and more weed. "Wavvves" is home to some of Wavves' most iconic songs, including the ironically narcisstic "No Hope Kids", the beautifully wistful, aching "Weed Demon" and the caustic explosion that is "Beach Demon" are really only parts of what makes this album so great. It is bracing and immediate in a way that later Wavves stuff just isn't anymore. Not that new Wavves is bad, it's really amazing, but lacks the sheen of fuzziness and "homemadeness" that marked the first two albums. This album is a little over 35 minutes, and it's all good. Some parts a little weak, if you're not in the mood, but most of the time I can listen to it from start to finish without skipping over things. Wavves releases all of their stuff for free on bandcamp, so listening to this should be easy (it's also on youtube). I'm keeping this review short for now, because there's newer stuff worth talking about more... Don't know if I'm gonna explore "Afraid of Heights" yet, but Wavves as a whole will be discussed soon.