Afraid Of Heights

Afraid Of Heights sees Wavves’ sunny brand of California rock clouded by themes of angst, insecurity, and isolation, as an infusion of heavy Nirvana-esque grunge drifts into the band’s most mature recording yet.

The change in production for their fourth studio recording becomes immediately apparent. The band’s distorted, over-modulated blur has been washed away, leaving them without a blanket of lo-fi to hide beneath.

Everything packs a bigger punch: from the pounding kick drums to the roaring surges of reverb guitar, and even Nathan Williams’ lazy, elongated Californian drawl. This is the cleanest, but also the most intimidating and towering, Wavves has ever sounded.

Album opener ‘Sail To The Sun’ begins with a deceivingly sweet intro led by xylophone lullabies before a guitar melody launches off and the album truly sets sail.

While Williams’ detachment from the world has always been at the core of Wavves’ carefree stoner-surfer ethos (they did, after all, release an EP called Life Sux), this time disengagement has spiralled into gloomy depression. “I’ll always be on my own/Fucked and alone”, he groans on eponymous track ‘Afraid of Heights’.

Still, these anthems of solitude have that familiar infectious Wavves packaging. Catchy melodies make it scarily easily to hum along to the lyrics; “I loved you Jesus/You raped the world/I feel defeated/Guess I’ll go surf” (on ‘Gimme A Knife’), and “None of you will ever understand me” over the bombastic hook of ‘Lunge Forward’.

Wavves’ impressive fourth offering showcases the band’s more brooding side as they shift into the realm of powerful pop-punk.