by Shea Roney (@uglyhug_records)
With a unique blend of brutal narration and post-punk nobility, New Orleans based musician Wesley Wolffe came into local favoritism with contributions to bands like STEEF and Sleep Habits. Over the past few years, the Memphis-born multi-instrumentalist found his own lane of aggressive instrumentation and singular melodies under an eponymous solo project. The ring of scum around the shower, negotiation with pink elephants, and the clarity that comes after a cigarette choke; Wolffe’s self-titled debut album was a project that took on a rough and rowdy mettle of wits and depravity. Returning now with a teaser for Good Kind, his new full-length album set to be released January 12, Wolffe doubles down in tenacity and charm on his latest single, “Streets”.
Grown out of sweaty spontaneity, fractured instrumentations and deliberate angst, “Streets” finds Wolffe eerily attuned to the characters that stray around him everyday. Ignited by the recording and production help of Matt Seferian (Pope), Rob Florence (drums) and his brother, Turner Wolffe (bass), the band wastes no time; the guitars clashing with sticky and unruly means, opening the track and accenting on Wolffe’s instrumental demands and deadpan candor. Written from the perspective of a narcissist, the opening line “I didn’t kill no one” becomes a striking deal of innocence and debatable in implementation. The melody is edgy and assertive, protruded by an argumentative character that Wolffe so easily epitomizes. Halfway through the track, there is a notable shift towards major tonalities, deliberating through deep insecurities and a cadence towards unease with a repeating phrase, “can they just ask me”. As Wolffe’s ripping guitar solo breaks away from the turbulent structure, “Streets” becomes an eerie sanctuary for a perplexed mind, all ablaze by the band's harsh and unfeigned performance.