You’re Welcome
The word 'brat' has followed Nathan Williams around for almost a decade, but at the age of 30, with a fully-fledged business to his name, as well as the ongoing success of band Wavves, his rebellious streak has proven not just purposeful but pretty damn inspiring. 'You're Welcome' is the soundtrack to this new lease of freedom. It's Williams' tongue-in-cheek rebirth as a self-released, self-actualized, self-promoting punk kingpin, and despite putting his money where his uncensored mouth is, he's emerged not just unscathed but with the upper hand. Williams took himself into producer Dennis Herring's ['King Of The Beach'] studio in Downtown LA, and for the first time since the early records worked regular office hours and almost entirely alone. 'You're Welcome' is mostly comprised of Williams' oddball, sample-led brainstorms. He came up with 40 tracks, now whittled down to twelve, fat-free punk zingers. A sample nerd, Williams delved into his obsession with 1950s doo-wop and - surprisingly - international folk, including Cambodian pop and '70's psychedelia from South America. The results make for one of the most diverse and intricate Wavves records yet. 'Come To The Valley' contains a Phil Spector meets Beach Boys '60s High School dance vibe, whereas title track 'You're Welcome' riffs on sound effects that could almost originate from Bizarro World, never mind Cambodia. Nathan Williams never went away, but now he's made sure he's here to stay far longer. And for that, girls and boys, you're welcome.
Filled as always with ridiculously catchy garage-pop hooks, Wavves’ sixth album is caught between exploring something new and rehashing something old.
Nathan Williams and co. are back on track after a car-crash major-label experience.
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Greater autonomy has allowed Nathan Williams to follow his more unusual inclinations, but Wavves' greatest strengths are under-utilised here.
Between two full-length LPs in 2015 and a split single with Weezer last fall, Wavves have had a busy past couple of years. But some time awa...
Since their 2010-released breakout album, King of the Beach, Wavves has served one main function: as a hook delivery system.
30 tends to be the age that most of us start getting our shit together (well, some of us) and for Nathan Williams this couldn’t be more true.
You’re Welcome displays the benefits and pitfalls of emerging from beneath a lo-fi blanket of noise.
Review of Wavves' 'Your Welcome' The Full-length comes out May 19th: In our review we see whether Wavves truly evolve or just pretend to on You're Welcome.