This Wild Life are a band that’s been causing waves with their interesting acoustic sound, playing amidst harder bands. We first heard of the Long Beach, CA duo when they covered Bring Me The Horizon‘s ‘Sleepwalking’ acoustically! It’s not something you’d encounter everyday, but it sounded surprisingly pleasant.
Starting off as a pop-punk band, This Wild Life took a whole 360 turn with their sound when they decided to start playing acoustic instead. Who knew that the boldest thing you can actually do is taking things down a notch. This choice has definitely allowed them to stand out from the crowd. The duo, consisting of Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Gross, have teamed up with Aaron Marsh of the emo rock band Copeland, who lent his producing skills to This Wild Life‘s debut album ‘Clouded’.
The feel-good album kicks off to a good start with brilliant opener ‘Concrete’, combining softer verses with the fuller choruses that invite a gentle head bop and sing along. With such a catchy opening, it was difficult to find the will to proceed to the next track and not just leave this one on repeat. Hints of the band’s earlier works are present here and there in the record, but especially in the slightly pop-punk infused track ‘Over It’. Telling the tale of leaving the past in the past and basically getting ‘over it’, the emotions are emphasised in a moment of peace where Jordan‘s vocals are solely accompanied by the piano.
This Wild Life demonstrate that two-man acoustic band does not necessarily mean the usual set-up of guitar and vocals, as the album makes way for pianos, violins and even drums! Yes, you heard that right. ‘Roots and Branches’ marks the halfway mark of the album with a calm-paced track. This melancholic song questions the same thing we wonder on those nights alone in our cars: “Am I meant to be alone?” Though drums make an appearance, it remains paced and full of emotions.
By this point, the band have clearly proven that keeping things simple is just not how they roll. ‘Better With You’ is a love letter to a former lover filled with feelings of regret made stronger by the help of female vocals. With such honest and raw lyrics, it’s hard for your heartstrings to not feel that little tug. Album closer ‘405’ is upbeat and definitely rockier than everything else on the record. Drums make another appearance in this track, which sounds basically like a full-band recording. Talk about closing the record on a high!
With an excellent album like ‘Clouded’, it’s hard to not fall in love with This Wild Life. The vocals are definitely a high point of this album; it’s sweet like honey that you just melt into its sensitivity. It is made even more beautiful with the honest and relatable lyrics, as if the band have put themselves in your shoes. Let’s face it, in today’s world where there are already so many pop-punk bands out there, we really didn’t need another one. This Wild Life‘s brave choice of switching onto the acoustic lane was definitely the right decision. Here’s a great album we would recommend everyone to listen to!
