At this late within Superchunk's career, now at over three decades, it's a great feeling to hear a record as beautiful and blissful as Wild Loneliness with razor sharp lyricism on today's turmoil to accompany it. Sonically this is the band's brightest, fullest, and lushest release.
North Carolina's Superchunk have been and continue to be mainstays and veterans in the indie rock scene since the early 90's. Leading by the two masterminds behind North Carolina's darling Merge Records, one of the best and most highly regarded indie labels in the country, Superchunk strive in the classic indie rock, punk rock, and garage pop that made them a staple in the first place. Superchunk haven't had a consistent output of albums since the 90's, with only three studio albums since 2001. The band's last record, 2018's What a Time to Be Alive, is an angry, fiery, and punchy commentary on today's climate through rough, to the point tunes with a punk energy. I remember enjoying it at the time and it's yet another solid album from a prolific band that has nothing to prove at this point. Four years later marks a brand new album from Superchunk. Wild Loneliness is the band's new, twelfth studio album and it's noticeably a different change of pace for the group stylistically and sonically.
For starters, the band members recorded and wrote the album apart from each other for the first time during lockdown. Despite this, the kinsmanship and the performances themselves are as tight as ever. It certainly does not sound like these songs were recorded in separate spaces at all. There is a greater sense of collaboration as well with special guests ranging from Sharon Van Etten to members of Wye Oak, Camera Obscura, Teenage Fanclub and even R.E.M. What's noticeably different is the sound and vibe throughout this album compared to previous releases. Most of the guitars sound acoustic and there are much brighter tones throughout the album. There are added strings, horns, and classic piano as well, adding a lot more sonic depth into a Superchunk record than usual. The rough edges are sanded off a bit and there is a nice polished sheen over these instrumentals. This album is very pretty and beautiful to listen to without it ever being too cleanly produced in any way. When reading the album's title, Wild Loneliness, it should not come as a big surprise that the band tackles themes of isolation and separation during the pandemic. They also continue to tackle themes of environmental and societal collapse, which should come as no surprise if you heard the band's last album. Despite these dark themes, Superchunk contrast them with blissful, sunny, and peppy instrumentals. More notably, they sound more fun than have been in a very, very long time.
So... there seems to be a ton of new changes to this Superchunk record. But are the songs any good? They're not good... they're great! Across the board, every song has a pleasantly summery vibe that can be instantly catchy and ear-wormy. Despite this album's release in February, this is the perfect Summer album and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. "Endless Summer" has the perfectly sunny and peppy instrumentation of guitar pop. Despite this sunniness within the instrumental itself, frontman Mac McCaughin's lyrical take is that of Summer lasting way too long now due to climate change. It's quite the opposite of a sunny disposition if you will? "City of the Dead" opens the album perfectly with a relaxed acoustic cut. Picture this: you're half awake, just getting up on a Sunday morning and peeking through the closed blinds while brewing a pot of strong coffee. That's this song in a nutshell. On the flip side, "Set It Aside" instrumentally sounds like a dimly lit, sleepy lullaby. The title track is a jumpy acoustic tune with perky guitar picking and a lovely saxophone solo popping in.
This album is full of highlights, but if I had to pick one favorite it would be "This Night." Featuring some great cinematic strings taking the center stage, "This Night" is lyrically and sonically full of youthful love. It's also features some of my favorite songwriting from McCaughin with lines including my favorite line on the record: "Time will grind you down and time won't let you mess around / Do you feel like dancing? It's getting dark and it's Sunday." For those who miss the faster and punkier moments from Superchunk, behold the song "Retraction," which has all the rough and fiery energy you've come to expect in a Superchunk rager. "If You're Not Dark" finishes the album on a high note with a youthfully energetic indie rock throwback with a more epic buildup and great backing vocals from Sharon Van Etten.
Although I haven't heard all twelve Superchunk albums, I think you could make a strong case for Wild Loneliness to be the band's best album since their 2001 album Here's to Shutting Up. Sonically this is Superchunk's brightest, fullest, and lushest release in their three decade career. The collaboration, attention to detail, mixing, and production are high selling points as to why this album sounds so so great. Every song requires a listen and there are no skips at all unless you're a weirdo who doesn't like great performances and songwriting. McCaughin's voice sounds as clear and great as ever even at the age of 55 years. At this late within the band's career, now at over three decades, it's a great feeling to hear a record as beautiful and blissful as Wild Loneliness with razor sharp lyricism on today's turmoil to accompany it. Despite the past few years, it seems that the band have really found great inspiration from being apart during the pandemic. It's by far one of the year's best albums and Superchunk definitely have proven themselves that they have plenty of gas left in the tank.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "This Night," "Endless Summer," "Wild Loneliness," "City of the Dead," "On the Floor"
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