As highlighted by their Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire series, the music of Wilder Maker is rich and varied, often dark and angry yet challenged by a persistent compassion that’s never quite snuffed out. “[It’s] as if,” we wrote in our review, “for all the anger and torment and despair, the default human setting is one of empathy and grace”.
Their latest release, though created under different circumstances and presented in a different context, is an even clearer statement on the Wilder Maker ethos. Opening with a carefree shuffle, the track has a languid lust for life, what lead songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum describes as “an attempt to catch the kind of everyday euphoria and friendship that’s usually taken for granted and forgotten shortly after and put it in a gilded frame, like a Renaissance oil painting of a casual summer night in 2017.” This nostalgia-for-the-present vibe is aided by bright guitar and sleek saxophone, Katie Von Schleicher’s vocals starting out leisurely before rising into a buoyant refrain.
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The Document series, which has so far seen a release from Seattle’s Posse, is Saddle Creek’s way of celebrating the individual communities from which their artists hail. Originating in Omaha, Nebraska, Saddle Creek has evolved into something far more global, and they see this series of 7″ vinyls as a way of ensuring they stay connected to grassroots scenes. As founder Robb Nansel explains: “We see Document as a unique way to reference our past, while at the same time reaching out to bands that aren’t already part of the Saddle Creek family and allowing them to shine a light on the art and music of their own communities. It’s our way to try to capture a band and their community in a specific place at a specific time, and share that with the world.”
New Streets is out on 7″ vinyl on the 2nd of June via Saddle Creek and you can pre-order it now. Alternatively head to the Wilder Maker Bandcamp page.
