Strange Wilds
Subjective Concepts
SUB POP
7/10
Subjective Concepts, the first album from hardcore trio Strange Wilds, makes it abundantly clear that the band was formed in Washington. The rising punk band’s full-length debut has been compared to Nirvana’s 1989 debut Bleach, but Subjective Concepts is a different animal. There’s something more urgent going on here, more insistent, more driving. Strange Wilds incorporate influence from beyond the insular sound of the Pacific Northwest. Yes, “Lost and Found”’s guitar line is an amalgam of all of Nirvana’s best hooks, but the vocals on “Starved For” are more reminiscent of Kim Gordon alternating stanzas with Ian MacKaye. The album is a wake-up call to rock above the hazy summer daze, but then, just like that, it’s gone—a 35-minute sing-along tornado demanding to be played again immediately. Subjective Concepts will end up a gorgeous, scratched-up jewel in the modern Sub Pop crown. Get ready.
