21st Century Music: Wild Nothing
21st Century Music are playlists and profiles that focus on artists that have released their music since 2000. These highlight new(er) acts that continue the sound and spirit of the older acts that are the focus of Ceremony. Click on the streaming service of your choice below to listen to the playlist as you read along.
In 2011 I came across eMusic, a music subscription service that, at fifty cents per track, offered a more attractive option than iTunes. However, with a minimum spend of eleven dollars per month and a limited library, I stressed over finding twenty-two songs per month to download and started to resent all the time it took to discover those tracks. Yet, the service’s varied offering of lesser known artists led me to the discovery of a lot of very good, new music, and the prize in that list was an EP, Golden Haze, by an act called, Wild Nothing.
I soon after learned Wild Nothing was actually just one guy, Jack Tatum. I also learned there was a solid first album that came before that excellent EP, and soon after enjoyed the subsequent releases and caught Tatum and his band in concert in Toronto in 2016. By now Wild Nothing is up to four LPs and three EPs, all of which have a ridiculous level of consistency in quality and are highly enjoyable listening experiences.
Jack Tatum
Blacksburg, Virginia is not a locale one would expect a modern artist applying contemporary twists on ‘80s new wave to have originated. But when you understand Blacksburg is the location of Virginia Tech, which has an enrollment of 36,000 students and the town has a population of 44,000, it’s clear this is a college town. Add to that it’s a tech hub and the stereotypical image of a southern town steeped in blues and country music starts to dissolve away. Indeed, after playing in college bands around town, Tatum started recording on his own and gained interest with his cover of Kate Bush’s, “Cloudbusting.” The 1980s influence was engendered from that start.
Already performing under the name, Wild Nothing, those demos led to a signing with Brooklyn based label, Captured Tracks, a modern rock brand that has also issued music from Dum Dum Girls, Craft Spells, Chastity, Molly Burch (who released a song in 2020 with Wild Nothing), and DIIV. After issuing the singles, “Summer Holiday,” and “Cloudbusting,” in 2009, Wild Nothing issued its first album, Gemini, in May 2010, followed by the Golden Haze EP in August. There was also a three-song digital only release, Evertide, that June, via a label, Warmest Chord, in which this was its only release, leading me to believe it was a self-release. All three tracks would be included on Golden Haze.
These early releases established Wild Nothing’s light, jangly guitar sound layered under Tatum’s airy vocals. Melodies infused with smooth synths gave the sound a strong, retro-‘80s new wave pop sound. At times there were also denser sonic applications that linked the feel to the early ‘90s dream pop genre. What was most evident was the consistently catchy, effortlessly accessible feel of the songs. Every track on Golden Haze won me over.
Tatum, more recently
That consistent strength of output continued through the next LP, 2012’s Nocturne, which featured more stellar tracks such as, “Paradise.” The album hewed very closely to Wild Nothing’s established sonic feel from its first releases. If there is a knock to the artist’s brand it’s that the sound has been almost too consistent over its career. The songs on each album tended to blend together as did album to album. However, the past few releases have seen greater use of tempo changes and increased thickness in the bass and drum rhythms, deepening the overall sound much to its improvement. It has been easier to distinguish different moods and sonic textures within the albums which have made for more complete and engaging listens from start to finish. Wild Nothing’s excellence has been enhanced by the addition of greater variety, even if, on the whole, the retro-new wave/dream pop vibe has remained its central characteristic.
Tatum has had accompanying musicians with him throughout Wild Nothing’s career for touring, though it appears all the music is written and recorded by himself aside from the occasional hired hand for recording certain parts and the partnership with different producers. Bassist Jeff Haley has been his longest running accompaniment, having played in Wild Nothing since 2010.
Tatum and his Wild Nothing consortium of helpers have produced some of the loveliest pop tunes of the past decade, drawing from the past for inspiration while continually developing its own brand of modern rock. In an age in which rhythm seems to dominate, finding an artist with such consistently enrapturing melodies has been a delight to embrace. Critically appreciated but commercially neglected, one can hope the continually improving sound of Wild Nothing may still have a well-deserved breakthrough.
The Playlist - song\album (year)
Live in Dreams \ Gemini (2010)
Chinatown \ Gemini (2010)
Gemini \ Gemini (2010)
Golden Haze \ Golden Haze EP (2010)
Quiet Hours \ Golden Haze EP (2010)
Take Me In \ Golden Haze EP (2010)
Asleep \ Golden Haze EP (2010)
Nocturne \ Nocturne (2012)
This Chain won’t Break \ Nocturne (2012)
Paradise \ Nocturne (2012)
The Body in Rainfall \ Empty Estate EP (2013)
Ride \ Empty Estate EP (2013)
A Dancing Shell \ Empty Estate EP (2013)
Japanese Alice \ Life of Pause (2016)
To Know You \ Life of Pause (2016)
Adore \ Life of Pause (2016)
TV Queen \ Life of Pause (2016)
Love Underneath My Thumb \ Life of Pause (2016)
Letting Go \ Indigo (2018)
Oscillation \ Indigo (2018)
Canyon on Fire \ Indigo (2018)
Bend \ Indigo (2018)
Sleight of Hand \ Laughing Gas EP (2020)
Blue Wings \ Laughing Gas EP (2020)
