Wild Nothing has yet to wake up from the musical dream that Jack Tatum created alone at age 21. “Shadow” keeps the sleepy sounds coming, with clean guitar chords strummed to perfection and a straightforward beat. The lead melody is a fish-hook combination of stringy synth and guitar mixed so well that the instruments are indistinguishable and working together as one sound. Tatum’s voice has never sounded so mellow; “Do you ever see me at night?” he asks with ease. “Shadow” feels smoother and warmer than previous Wild Nothing tracks, leaving all melancholy behind. There is plenty of ambient synth pad hovering above the chorus and bridge, but the music sounds very much in front of any effects and overall the song feels stripped down compared to the Gemini LP or Golden Haze EP.
Upcoming album Nocturne was recorded during 2011 in Savannah, GA. Tatum once again composed the music alone, allowing for his clear vision of pop music utopia to be obsessively brought out. Wild Nothing’s music speaks from that introverted place within, allowing for a sound that shapes its own universe far away from everything else. When the recording is done, Tatum does a near-perfect job of getting his bros together and jamming the music live. Wild Nothing’s July 13 show at the UW-Madison Terrace was gorgeous. The set was opened and closed with favorites “Our Composition Book” and “Summer Holiday,” yet also included a few unheard tracks off of the new album.
A midsummer’s night with moonlight shining across Lake Mendota was a fitting scene to experience such a breezy song as “Shadow.” Live, Wild Nothing is a band that glows in the dark and accompanies a starry sky wonderfully. On previous records, Wild Nothing has proven to create new realms of equally mystic and wistful auras. “Shadow” seems to preview another pleasing album of such qualities.