Wild Cub - Closer

Wild Cub
Closer
2017
Spotify

Wild Cub may be a name you are unfamiliar with. They had a bit of success with their song "Thunder Clatter" from their 2013 album Youth. However for the most part they have been relatively quiet in the ensuing four years. This new album keeps the upbeat alternative going and the Nashville based band show that the city is about more than just Country. It is clear from the first track that "Thunder Clatter" is still heavy in the bands mind with each song trying to recapture that same stomping anthem vibe. You will hear twinges of Kings of Leon, Walk the Moon and even the Killers in their sound yet somehow Wild Cub only feel like they are scratching the surface of these ideas. Lyrically Closer deals with being lonely and trying to overcome internal darkness. There have been plenty of records that try to examine darker issues but put on a brave face by coupling it with dance music, but the thing is Wild Cub really feel like they are reaching to hard for this. Sure there are songs that you can't help but sing along too, but it is because they are pure sugar. They tick all the boxes of what a great alternative dancey hit may be but they really lack some weight behind them. The one song that really pushes the emotions over the top is "Wait"; singer Keegan Dewitt's voice is strained and He really seems to be laying it all out but the results are just kind of meager at best. You want this song to move you, you want the whole album to feel like it has more but it just never happens.

The record is almost completely one note with the one exception being "Wait" making it drag a bit. Horns somewhat save "Somewhere" but it is at this point in the album that you really start to see behind the curtain and it seems like Wild Cub have something, but they may not have the goods. There is also this real unevenness to the record partially because so many of the songs try to harness the exact same vibe. Instead of taking you on the journey Closer just stays at one level with varying results track over track. You keep hoping for something to breakthrough, or a big shift to really bring the album back around but it never comes. "Rain" which uses a steel drum and some Caribbean rhythms a la Phil Collins has a promising start, but doesn't end up really being anything at all. Too many missed opportunities and not even diversity leaves the listener wanting much more than Closer and Wild Cub are able to deliver. There are a couple of sweet treats on this record, but that is just about it. A disappointing follow up after that big of a layoff, but Wild Cub do have a ton of positives, they just need to make their way on to an album.

5.9 out of 10