Wildlife - Age Of Everything

Canada has a vibrant indie pop scene and Wildlife are building themselves a solid foundation to join the likes of Half Moon Run, Arcade Fire, Paper Lions and Tokyo Police Club. Their latest album, Age Of Everything was released on 14th October, and has a great sense of cohesion and melody. Any song on this album could land on the soundtrack to an indie romance film, or in fact be the entire soundtrack. From that statement alone, you could probably guess the sound the band creates. While this album is not particularly original or ground-breaking, it is full of indie pop-rock anthems and pretty melodies, so is very enjoyable to listen to. At points the band is somewhat reminiscent of We The Kings, particularly in Over Now, and occasionally Biffy Clyro, such as in Turning To Stone.

The album begins dramatically with the auditory experience of A New Pain, which seamlessly blends into the lead single of the album, Dead Century, kicking the album off with a explosive anthemic swing. The band told Exclaim, “Dead Century is a song about […] what it feels like to have one foot in an age that no longer exists, and coming to terms with having the other in a world you may never understand.” It’s an anthem for millennials fit with soaring vocals and pretty guitar. Jovial synths are also prominent in this album; for example Impossible Colours, an upbeat and joyous single speaks about doing the unexpected, and living life without limits. Wildlife knows what they do and they do it well, so while some songs may lack a bit of punch, the overall product is pleasant. An album doesn’t have to have an entirely unique sound for you to appreciate it – it’s okay to just give in to simple enjoyment of a sound without paying mind to its cultural value. However, I would commend Wildlife on featuring a few aesthetically beautiful instrumental tracks to segue between anthems, Vermillion being my favourite. Without doubt though, the best song on the album is its conclusion, Turning To Stone, which acts as a culmination of all the indie anthems thus far, and with a clear Biffy Clyro influence underlying the sound, it’s well worth a listen. For a band formed in 2005, with a radio top 10 hit from their first album, Wildlife are still fairly unknown, with only around 140,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Age Of Everything could, aptly, be the album to change this. To stay ahead of the game, head over to the Bristol Exchange on the 13th November, to hear them for yourself, and have a great soundtrack to your Sunday night.