Wilder's debut EP is out now!
Image: Supplied.
Last week, Southern California indie-rock duo Wilder. dropped their debut EP BAD BAD LUCK. If you're loving the collection of songs and want to pick the duo's brain for some insight into each track, we've got you covered! Wilder have treated MILKY, taking us through the EP track by track.
OH NO
This was the first song Nick, and I wrote together as Wilder. Getting out of a certain (Christian) music scene that our previous band Hearts Like Lions got pigeon-holed in. Not that what we had with our old band was bad at all, but we don’t want the same outcome as that band. We want more. It is almost surreal as in how we were able to start this new adventure. We literally got what we wanted handed to us: We got to mutually walk away from another record deal that we could have been in for another few years. No bad beef. Just nothing we could benefit from anymore. This let us put all our focus on something new that is Wilder.
As the bridge says: “I got what I want, still kind of feel lost. I did what I want, still kind of feel lost.” There is still this sense of missing the place where we were at before, but we have pushed through and have got what we truly want.
A theme the listeners will notice - especially in this song - is that the music is very upbeat and fun, with lyrics that have a more serious tone. This song was influenced by a lot of the up and coming LA bands that have an upbeat, punky indie rock feel.
BAD BAD LUCK
Growing up in the church we were always pressured to be this perfect person. The song references an experience I had where a friend in the church told me I was becoming more and more like “the world” and that he felt sorry for me. Instead of reaching out a hand in open dialogue, he made me feel judged because at the time, I was starting to question a lot in my faith.
Meanwhile, even though this person had a squeaky-clean image, had all the right theology, and had a ton of money, behind closed doors he was visibly one of the most unhappy, frustrated, judgmental people I’d ever met.
Instrumentally, the cadence of the song is something new to us, as we always used to write very loud, emo-rock type choruses. We made a conscious effort to make this song groove more, by adding a lot of percussion, closed hi-hat choruses and a rhythm section that’s locked in the entire time on a heavy groove
SEE THROUGH
There is a recurring theme in most of these songs on the Bad Bad Luck EP. A lot about our time spent as a young adult in the church. See Through is a song about seeing right through someone and all the bullshit they are hiding behind.
Like “Oh No”, this song has upbeat, dance instrumentals with a darker side to the lyrics. However, in contrast to the introspectiveness of Oh No, “See Through” is a more in your face message to people who may need to take a deeper look into their hubris.
BITEMYTONGUE
This song is about looking back on the mistakes in the past thinking they would make you into a better person. The chorus says “Oh I feel it now, I feel it now. There’s something burning up inside of me.” This is talking about the feeling of realizing how something that you were apart of that you thought was good was not. These feelings being uprooted in realizing what “religion” means to you. 2020 really showed a lot of friends and families true colors.
The tension and intensity of this song’s instrumentals are reminiscent of the band’s roots but executed in a way that feels new yet familiar at the same time. The song was written with an explosive live performance in mind.
HANG UP
This song is about being stuck in a constant cycle of not feeling creative in music. I was Letting thoughts of the past and future cloud my mind enough to not focus on my passion for music. Being able to start over and start a new adventure was a huge success in being able to free my mind to focus on music.
After going through the wild range of emotions on the previous songs, Hang Up evokes emotions of resolve and looking forward toward the future. The production is huge and spacious and can hopefully spark a feeling of adventure and wonder for what's to come.