Categories
ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

Essential New Music: Wild Nothing’s “Life Of Pause”

WildNothing

The shimmering, melancholy brand of dream-pop that Jack Tatum makes as Wild Nothing cuts a curious line between Phil Elverum’s delicate lo-fi, the Cure circa The Head On The Door and Balearic house at its breeziest. His debut, Gemini, distilled the best of the above into a remarkable, effortlessly melodic album, while its followup, Nocturne, saw him recruit a backing band and utilize a proper studio for the first time to similarly positive results.

For his third record, Tatum split time between L.A. and Sweden, taking cues from classic soul and R&B for an album that’s nothing if not a complete break with his previous body of work, trading trebly guitars in for marimba, synthesizers and saxophones. It proves quickly to be a break for the better, though, forging its unique identity on account of Tatum’s ability to turn a tune in many more ways than one.

—Möhammad Choudhery