You might remember a little band called This Wild Life who quickly rose to fame after their stunning cover of Bring Me The Horizons’ Sleepwalking. After a successful album cycle with their last release Clouded, the band are back with a very relaxed, evolved sound in their follow up Low Tides.
The album opens with the ambient Hit the Reset that sounds like nothing the band have done before. Although it sounds completely new the band have kept the This Wild Life sound that their audience has grown to love. The drums in the song add a real relaxed sense to the song as does the newly introduced clean guitar tones that sound like a liquid gold. Kevin has an incredibly distinct voice; maybe it’s the creamy delivery of his lines or the tone of voice but it’s one of the defining features and in this song he shows his more relaxed side – and it really suits the band.
Red Room is a groovier song which is also new territory for the band. The bass and drum combo really shows the band are open for experimentation while keeping their signature sound. It’s a song that’ll make you do a little jig and really appreciate the musicality of the song. Sometimes simple works and they haven’t over complicated the song which is great. However, it’s also one of the most dynamic songs the band have released, what with it having a full brass section while keeping that slow groove, and it’s a true show of remarkable their ability to write a song.
Change My Sheets is an example of where Anthony’s epic guitar playing is evident and the tone of the guitar is, as I said before, liquid gold. The riffs aren’t necessarily the most complex riffs but they work incredibly well. It uses a good range of instruments and the production of the song is incredibly interesting. The more the song progresses the more it builds up which is pretty standard, but it gets really messy and big yet also sounds tight and deliberate. It sounds like it should be played in an arena when it comes from very modest beginnings while simultaneously sounding massive the entire song.
It’s a big step for them to take and a risky move to take such a drastic turn in what defines you as a band on your second major release, but it’s one that This Wild Life have executed pretty much flawlessly. Low Tides is a very relaxed listen and easy to enjoy – the production, musicianship and writing of the album are incredible and they deserve nothing but praise for this work. It’s a smashing album and the duo should be proud.
9/10
