San Diego scuzz-rocker overcomes his demons in mesmerising style.
Nathan Williams has never been one for welcoming listeners into his world with open arms. In fact he’s made things decidedly difficult since the first few Wavves tracks spread like wildfire around the web in 2008. Two hastily thrown together records followed (confusingly titled Wavves and Wavvves, recorded on his laptop and made up of reverb-heavy, rackety sprawl). Then, even worse: the singer very publicly teetered precariously on the brink of self-destruction. Depression, substance abuse and alcoholism ultimately marred his music-making and resulted in an onstage meltdown at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival last year.
So it’s with trepidation that we approach this third long-play offering. What is Williams to sling at us next? Sighs of relief all round, though: he has come up trumps with King of the Beach, a record that makes good on Williams’ earliest promise. Showcasing a cleaner sound and packed with super melodies and sunny harmonies, it’s a radical step up from his first two efforts. Yet it doesn’t stray far from the scruffy noise pop, experimentalism and emotional complexities we have now come to expect from Wavves’ output.
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Source: BBC Music