by Cam Harper (@camharperdrums)
A fast-spinning machine powered by songs that pass through memorable lyrics, addictive hooks, and commendable guitar performances, Triple Seven, the debut album from Indianapolis indie rockers Wishy boasts some serious jewel case appeal. The record melds wide, action-orientated instrumentals heard in bands such as Hotline TNT with the emotive lyrical introspection of groups like Slow Pulp. After releasing two appreciated EP’s in 2023 and achieving momentum through a variety of live performances the band has swiftly delivered their first full length effort. This record employs euphoric soundscapes and yearning lyrics present in previous releases with amplified vigor and blindingly polished songwriting.
The album's juicy introduction “Sick Sweet” is a pleasantly excitable track fronted by Kevin Krauter (guitar, vocals) that draws listeners in with the band's connection to nineties shoegaze immediately apparent.The opener is followed by the album’s title track, flowing with hypnotic timbre as Nina Pitchkites’ (guitar, vocals) voice glides through sugary melodies that encompass the song’s runtime. With such strong establishing tracks Wishy has already displayed a shiny sense of style before the album has reached the halfway mark.
The first single released, “Love On The Outside,” is the album’s peak, sitting directly in the middle of the track listing. The song best displays the band’s ability to blend the talents of three unique guitar players opening with a wonderful lead that spills into acoustic strumming as the verse begins and stretches into a larger than life chorus, culminating in a powerful outro that is controlled yet splitting with intensity. In spite of some genre-defining moments materializing through the first side of the record, it continues unfading with “Little While,” a lush auditory panorama that gives listeners an ethereal escape from the preceding pace of the record. “Busted” incorporates disaffected vocals fluttering over fast, repetitive strumming that is reminiscent of The Strokes. Closing number “Spit” burns the show down with explosive tone and crackling drums played at a balanced pace as Krauter and Pitchkites’ vocals merge one more time before erupting into alt-rock eminence.
Triple Seven is an album that uproots ten fresh and distinctive songs with absolutely zero filler. The band has already excelled in a revered style often imitated because not only does Wishy have the desired sound, but the melodic prowess to navigate such an oversaturated area of alternative music. The combination of members' experience in other groups and their ability to showcase inspiration from a vast array of pop genres has certainly helped them attract a diverse pool of new fans who lean towards different aspects of their music. The band has even taken to social media to comment on, or rather shrug at some out-of-pocket comparisons to midwest-emo that some listeners seem to have connected them to. With an album release tour set to begin in Europe and later move through the U.S.A., Wishy is booked to expand both their audience and sound while playing shows across the western world.