Band: I Cry Wolfe
Album: Adequate
Label: Red Cord Records
Release: 5.21.13
Reviewer: Brody
Tracklist:
- #Swagbrai
- Guitar! (Irrelefant)
- Mosh.0
- Intoduel
- Mister Garland & Co.
- Ft. Chris Galvez
- Ventriloquists Can’t Talk
- Miko’s Miracle, Caleb’s Dream
- The Backseat Game
- Perfect
To those who know me best, I am a sucker for any kind of music that makes me feel happy. Now, this does not mean I don’t appreciate heart wrenching stories of struggle and pain from bands like Defeater, but music that can make me smile holds a dear place in my heart.
Needless to say, when I stumbled across I Cry Wolfe’s about section on Facebook that simply read, “We’re on a mission to spread happiness”; I was pretty excited to hear what these guys would bring to the table. Conversely, I became slightly terrified when album opener, #Swagbrai began with pulsing synths. You see, since the induction of bands like Attack Attack!, Asking Alexandria and the like, I have avoided bands that rely on cheesey electrics to drive their sound.
For anyone afraid for the remainder of this review, I Cry Wolfe manage to use electronics sparingly and do not use them as a crutch to make their music “fun” as most of the bands in the upcoming metalcore subgenre are doing. In fact, #Swagbrais’ electronics give way to pummelling chugs and raucous screams mere seconds after they begin.
When the clean vocals kick in for the chorus of the opener things seem to shift to more of a pop-punk vibe before jumping back into bone crushing distortion moments later. While no new ground is tread on this track, the energy this young band exhumes is undeniable.
Guitar! begins with the aforementioned pop-punk vocals and crunchy power chords, occasionally delving back into the heavier side of things. The bridge of this track with poppy vocals and anthemic shouts of “Hey!” took me by surprise and made me smile.
Mister Garland & Co. and Ft. Chris Galvez both stick to the formula the band has set of sprinkling cleans into the blistering heaviness without coming off as too cliche. Mister Garland & Co. features one of the strongest choruses on the record while Ft. Chris Galvez throws some brilliant guitar riffage into the mix, including a great sweeping section.
The Backseat Game takes the form of more of a screamo (primarily singing with minimal screaming) song as opposed to the typical metalcore formula I Cry Wolfe typically uses, and to my surprise pull it off pretty well – Synths and all. Lyrically the track delves into some of the more serious matters on the record, explaining that it is the band’s’ mission to show people God’s love. Vocalist Jake Schmid howls, “I never said it would be easy / I never thought it would be simple / But these people need to know what I see / They need to see the beauty in everything/ They need to be happy in different kinds / They need somebody to change their minds”.
The main downside to “Adequate” in my opinion is simply that I Cry Wolfe does not bring anything new to the table. While I am not entirely accustomed to the poppier side of metalcore these guys belong to, I felt as though I had heard most of it all before. With that being said, I Cry Wolfe was head and shoulders more talented than the other bands they share this genre with.
Overall: While nothing new, I Cry Wolfe accomplished their goal of spreading happiness by making me smile a few times on their debut full length “Adequate”. The best part is they still have a lot of time to grow and mature, which should allow them to continue evolving their sound in the future.
RIYL: Secrets | That’s Outrageous | Close to Home