Wavves - Life Sux EP
Wavves
Life Sux EP
You’re never gonna stop Nathan Williams. At least, that’s what the Wavves frontman continues to proclaim on the follow-up EP to 2010’s King Of The Beach. Where that album’s title track saw the singer repeating, “You’re never gonna stop me” from being the ruler of all things beachy, Life Sux sees him just as defiantly challenging anyone to stop him from meeting Dave Grohl. (We’re still not 100 percent sure just who, in particular, is trying to keep Williams and Wavves from attaining their goals.) The trio—Williams, bassist Stephen Pope and new drummer Jacob Cooper—have consistently given the finger to popular opinion, churning out everything from bedroom lo-fi to jangly acid-pop to skate punk, all punctuated by Williams’ razor-sharp tongue and self-deprecating wit. For all the anti-charisma he radiates, Williams has amassed himself quite a following; however, it’s not without merit.
Life Sux is a fun snapshot of Wavves’ keen pop sensibilities, driven by distortion-free guitar lines that were absent on previous releases. “Bug” and “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl” kick things off with a one-two poppy guitar punch; “Nodding Off,” featuring Best Coast (led by Williams’ girlfriend, Bethany Consentino), punches the distortion pedal before unfolding into a lushly layered chorus. “Poor Lenore” is a mid-tempo throwback with traces of Brit-pop influences and some of Williams’ most emotionally charged vocals, as he sears through lines on top of a fuzzed-out chorus loop. And as a preview to this fall’s tour, “Destroy” was recorded with members of Fucked Up, and shows that Wavves are just as comfortable hanging with the hardcore crowd as with stoners. As Wavves continue to prove they’re capable of producing songs that stick with the listener long after the song’s been played, it’s probably only a matter of time before Williams finagles that meeting with the Foo Fighters majordomo (if he hasn’t already). Because really, no one’s gonna stop him now.
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