This post was originally made offsite in June 2017.
Background
I’d never been more than a casual Wavves follower before this release, only listening to a couple tracks and not venturing deeper, occasionally looking in on their Warner Bros. drama or joining the wrestling discussions on Twitter. After seeing that their next project was on the way, I decided that it would be my first full introduction to Nathan Williams and co.
Track by Track Thoughts
“Daisy” was a good choice to open the LP. I’m not a fan of the wobbly backing vocals (“Oh I, know I, should…”) but the ones behind the chorus make up for it. The nonstop drums, 186 BPM pace, and Nathan’s mix of desperado, cynic, and lovesick are a great example of the energy and style you get with the record.
Next up is the title track, “You’re Welcome.” It’s a little more low key but not worse off because of it. Easy listen, lots of chorus, nothing out of the ordinary. The abrupt ending isn’t too fun but doesn’t knock any points off.
“No Shade” is distorted to hell and back, frenetic and sixteen words long and clocking in at under 1:50. I don’t really like the big room-sounding backing vocals on this one, and the hook isn’t great. Skippable but not terrible.
“Million Enemies” has a big anthemic beat behind it. This is probably one of the more polarizing tracks on the album, it’s a highlight of Nathan’s singing skills or lack thereof. I don’t mind it at all, I think it adds to the song and sounds pretty good. I wouldn’t put it on repeat but it’s solid and fits into the rest of the album well.
“Hollowed Out” is next, my favorite. Written by guitarist Alex Gates years earlier, he handles a lot of the vocal duties on this one and the song benefits from his softer voice. The guitar and bass and drums are all great and play well together, the transitions between Alex and Nathan singing are really nice, the mix of live and digital instrumentation is sweet. I prefer Alex’s solo version but this track is still the best on the album and is definitely gonna go down as one of my favorites this whole year.
“Come to the Valley” is interesting. Ironically, it’s one of the few modern circus-sounding songs to not sound super drugged out. Lush, catchy vocals and a bouncy instrumental, this one seems to turn off even some longtime fans but I don’t hate it at all. It’s an exercise in experimentation and it doesn’t fall flat.
“Animal” follows and if “Hollowed Out” is 1A, this is a close 1B. Great bass sound throughout and the little licks before each über-catchy chorus are really nice. The acoustic guitar is such a nice touch too. Alex’s backing vocals are awesome. I love this track and could listen to it on repeat (and actually have).
“Stupid in Love” suffers from coming after such a great song because it’s pretty good in its own right. I like the vocal and audio effects. It’s another one that’s mostly hook, if the hook was better I’d be more of a fan of the decision.
“Exercise” is a loud fast barnburner, it feels like they’re playing along to a metronome set to 220 and it never takes a break or catches its breath the entire 2:24 runtime. Even with some cliché lyrics (“I can’t believe the shit they feed to us, they’re lying to our face“) it’s another standout. The verses and choruses are great, the rhythmic bursts (“Danc-ing-while-the-world-is-burn-ing-down“) are fun, another one with nothing really wrong with it at all.
“Under” comes next. I love the way the “It bends and then you break it” line sounds but the track as a whole is oddly forgettable. Even as I listen to the album again I always forget it’s coming and it takes a while to recognize it. There’s some interesting lyrics but I feel like overall it could have been cut with no real loss.
“Dreams of Grandeur” has a sense of finality to it, like it could have closed the album out. It’s a good song, maybe with one too many ideas pushed into it but that’s not so bad. After a lot of listening I found this older version that I think is a lot better conceptually and, with the sound the final one had on the album, would be a much better track.
“I Love You” feels like a middle-of-the-album break from the action, not a closer. It’s still great. A straight up love letter set to music, it’s dreamy and an interesting mix of poppy and somber. The bridge is a little unnecessary and the outro a little long but they’re minor minuses.
Final Thoughts
The Wavves gang struck gold for the most part with this release. There’s some really great tracks, a lot of good ones, and very few misses. Nathan’s a creative songwriter, taking some risks but mostly sticking to the punk ethos he’s known for, lots of energy, simple ideas. It’s somewhere between a 7 and an 8 so I’ll round down to a 7/10.