In the past five years, Wild Nothing have emerged as a blogosphere favourite. Over the course of two albums and three EPs, the Brooklyn indie-synth act helmed by Jack Tatum have ploughed a furrow of wistful guitar pop, like if Cut Copy had been more influenced by The Smiths than club culture. Having seemingly disappeared off the radar for two years, ‘To Know You’ (premiered alongside another new track, ‘TV Queen’) is both a comfort and a tease to fans as it readies the arrival of 2016’s new album Life Of Pause.
At first the squalling synths of ‘To Know You’ feel like a sharp change of direction, harsh and muscular instead of billowy and warm. But it’s quickly back on familiar territory, with Tatum’s filtered vocals and dream-pop guitars chugging along over a New Order bassline and shimmery chords. Wild Nothing’s music has always dealt in nostalgia and the familiar: not just in its style that sits exactly between 80s synth-pop and 90s shoegaze indie, but the way that melodies seem to appear instinctive and intuitive. ‘To Know You’ tilts towards new directions for Wild Nothing but still feels completely characteristic.
