WYLDE Unleash Spectacular Sounding Single "Steal Me"
Alex Matthew
Edinburgh’s melodic post-punk prodigies, WYLDE, return after an eighteenth month gap with the first single off their long-awaited upcoming EP. Whilst such a sizeable gulf between two releases may have at first glance appeared questionable for such a young band, “Steal Me” successfully confirms the long wait was well worth enduring!
WYLDE have never failed to surprise us.
The group’s distinct and well developed sound has become a curiously beautiful amalgamation of powerful post-punk, strong new wave and delightful dream pop all tied together with thick ribbons of eighties-esque shoegaze.
Their second single was an almost seven minute long opus featuring heavy stretches of orchestral influenced instrumentation alongside their bold guitar rhythms and striking misty vocals, courtesy of lead singer Monica Anderson.
Whilst listening to their music via the safety of headphones it conjures up the feeling of aimlessly wandering through a dream-like desert beneath a callous night sky. On stage one would be deeply shocked to hear their music transforming into something that sounds like it could soundtrack a frantically energised war zone. The tunes, now appearing far punkier, attack the members of the crowd and force them to fight back by heavily bouncing to the beat of the enthused drumming.
All of these previous joyously unconventional choices bring us to WYLDE’s latest offering, “Steal Me”.
It’s a song that marks a suitable growth for the band, both in sound and production quality as a sizeable jump can be heard in comparison to the group’s past releases.
The dancier nature of the track is apparent from the offset with its increased tempo, punctuated by colourfully delightful guitar melodies courtesy of aforementioned lead-singer Anderson and Robbie Broome. It follows the trend of previous releases by drenching the guitar in slick reverb, helping to aid the foggy dreamlike quality of WYLDE’s sound, one which helps them stand apart from much of their fellow up and coming compatriots.
Anderson and Broome’s venomous guitar playing is accompanied and elevated nicely by a strong drumbeat, provided by Jamie Walker, which gives the track a sense of constant never-ending momentum. “How” (their seven minute single opus) felt like a rally against the conventional three to four minute hook packed single we’ve become accustomed to hearing from new bands and with “Steal Me” it feels like WYLDE are once again rising above the cliché. However this time they’re tackling the issue head-on, by placing their spin on the trope. “Steal Me” is a four minute single that makes you want to get up and dance but by placing this within their own sound WYLDE have successfully crafted something that feels beautifully unique to themselves.
As previously stated Anderson’s signature vocal quality re-emerges on Steal Me in full hazy hypotonic fashion. What’s perhaps most impressive about the song is its lack of hook which doesn’t detract from the easy ability to lose yourself amongst it. Similar to groups such as My Bloody Valentine WYLDE have no need for cheap hooks but win the listener over via pure raw emotion alone, which oozes from every pore of this track.
It’s only downfall would be that amongst the humungous sounding mix we unfortunately lose the music of talented bassist Sam Smith. This feels more like a production issue than one on Smith’s part and it’s a great shame, as during WYLDE’s chaotic live shows he is a pivotal part of their memorable performances. It’s sad to see him being slightly underserved here and one can only hope he will see some justice on the rest of the upcoming EP.
With “Steal Me” WYLDE have released a song which feels both distinctly them but also a step into fresh terrain. The return of guitars dripping reverb and misty emotive vocals are well served by an increased tempo and a dancy quality than we haven’t seen from the group to this extent until now. It’s a song that makes one more feverishly excited to hear the rest of WYLDE’s upcoming EP than ever before!
“Steal Me” by Wylde is available on all music streaming platforms now!
