It’s ludicrous to think that Gorilla Manor came out a whole 14 years ago now. Since then, the California-formed band have released a string of enjoyable, understated albums that were largely well-received critically, if not, perhaps, as commercially successful as they might have been, given the popularity of other contemporaries who trod a similar path.
But I’ll Wait For You is the group’s sixth full-length album. ‘Alpharetta‘ is its tender opener, evoking memories of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Fleet Foxes, Simon and Garfunkel and Al Green all at once. It sounds like someone who’s had their heart broken, trying to cling on to the tiniest glimmer of hope that a relationship can still be salvaged.
That description seems to be, in a nutshell, what But I’ll Wait For You is all about – not a break-up album in the Rumours mould, but rather an “Oh God are we about to separate?” kind of record. The sparse production, the rather unsure nature of the lyrics, and the mostly stark, haunting melodies all point to some kind of ominous finality. Part of me wonders how much input joint frontman Kelcey Ayer had in terms of the songwriting, and whether it was in part a tearful Dear John letter to the band, culminating in Ayer’s departure shortly after the album’s release.
To an extent, that sorrowful, yearning uncertainty works well, but as much as I hate to admit it, the tracks do start to feel a little too one-paced and you find yourself willing them to hit you with another ‘Throw It In The Fire‘, the second track here, reflecting a feeling we’ve surely all had at various points in our lives.
While But I’ll Wait For You is undoubtedly a good album, it just isn’t hitting me a great one at this moment, although with that said, it does feel like one that could be a grower, and it does feature the mighty ‘Ending Credits‘, which fools you into believing it’s just going to be another wallow into self-pity, but steadily builds and builds, not a note wasted, each instrument’s maximised to its full potential (Jeez, that sounds so pretentious, doesn’t it, but you know what I mean) and by the time it’s finished, it’s like a mini-cinematic masterpiece and it sounds huge; it’s easily the best track here and, impressively, also probably one of the finest in the band’s repertoire.
But I’ll Wait For You is definitely worthy of your time, but for me personally, I’m just hoping they cheer up a bit on their next record.
