Having already put out a collaborative release with Cloud Nothings and contributed to Grand Theft Auto V’s compilation record this year, a new album from Nathan Williams’ band Wavves was unexpected.
V is a record that toes the line between surf, punk and pop, offering a very accessible pop sound while still fitting in its own niche with gritty punk lyrics and punchy guitar riffs. On a more comprehensive level, however, the album examines the process of a breakup and can be broken down into three sections. The first section examines initial feelings post breakup. The listener can feel the misery in Nathan’s voice in songs like “Way Too Much” with lines like “I sink like a stone, just like you knew I would.” While the lyrics are clearly not incredibly complex, their simplicity and repetition shine a focus on raw emotion.
The first section culminates and transitions into the second through “My Head Hurts,” which truthfully could be the title of the album as every song here points to the theme of conflicting emotions that challenge someone to think straight. The second section, then, focuses on a cleansing of emotion, as heard in “Redlead.” This track is a pivotal point — it changes the tone of the album from misery to moving on. The last section addresses the bitterness and frustration with an ex, as typified this in “Tarantula” lyric: “Every morning, toxic waste / Everything sucks, if you don’t get your way.” Again, as simple as the lyrics are, their variation as the album progresses conveys a range of emotions in a cohesive way.
Although this is an album that fails to break new ground through lyrical content, it conveys an ability to effectively capture the entire emotional spectrum of a breakup. And while breakup albums come often, they normally wallow in their own sadness. V shows the complexity of emotion, particularly through its upbeat sound, from sadness to frustration to confusion. Throughout, Wavves seamlessly illustrates the extensive emotions of not only breakups but also life itself.