Released: January 21 2014
About the band/where have I heard them? If the band name faintly rings some bells, it might be because you saw them open for Bastille at the Sokol Theater in the middle of December last semester. If not, you may know them from their single “Thunder Clatter,” which reached No. 59 on the U.K. Singles Chart when it was released in August of last year. Wild Cub was founded in 2012, and their tour around the U.S. is their first public debut of their new deluxe album. The band is made up of songwriter-composer Keegan DeWitt, multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bullock, drummer Dabney Morris, bassist Harry West and keyboardist Eric Wilson.
Why would I recommend this album? The album is more mellow than their lead single would suggest; most of the songs have a calm, electronic feeling to them, while others are a little more energetic. I find the instrumentalization more compelling than the lead vocals, although DeWitt’s voice is solid enough to carry the songs. Regardless, if you like Wild Cub’s lead single, you’ll probably enjoy the rest of the album. The deluxe CD on iTunes comes with an additional remix CD of a few of their tracks as well. I’d say that while the sound is still slightly experimental, “Youth” makes a formidable debut album and has a good chance of establishing Wild Cub as a source of good pop rock and indie music.
“I like how the album is a modern take on 80s pop rock and I like the percussion too,” Arts & Sciences sophomore Melanie Ladley said. “When I saw them live, they were full of energy and great to watch even if you didn’t know the music beforehand. You still felt like a participant in the show.”
Best tracks? My personal favorite is “Thunder Clatter,” but other good tracks on the album are “Colour,” “Jonti,” “Windows” and “Drive.”
What are they up to? The band is currently touring the U.S. as an opener for various music groups, but given that they just played here in December, it’ll probably be a while before they’re in the Omaha area again. Although still endeavoring to make a name for themselves, they did just recently perform “Thunder Clatter” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” at the end of January. You can follow Wild Cub on Twitter for more updates at @wildcubmusic.