For a band who perform live in dark clothing, write music that conjures nightmarish imagery, and have been described by The Guardian as most likely to ‘metaphorically punch you in the ear,’ The Wytches’ aren’t the nocturnal hell-hounds they are often made out to be. Their own branding of their music as ‘surf doom’ is indicative of the over-the-top feel to the band’s debut record, Annabel Dream Reader, and the fun to be had behind the hellish façade. For every tortured scream by lead singer/guitarist Kristian Bell there is a drive to dance, and every screeching guitar line equals a pulsating chorus sing-along. It is a record written to be enjoyed in the truest sense, and in this, it succeeds remarkably.
Now, when I say it is a record written to be enjoyed, that word could easily become interchangeable with ‘thrilled.’ Throughout the course of its thirteen songs, Annabel Dream Reader rarely lets up on pace, delivered in a raw, high-octane format. The Brighton trio, which, alongside Bell, consists of drummer Gianni Honey and bassist Daniel Rumsey, decided to record the album at Toe Rag Studios, the same place The White Stripes recorded Elephant. Bell has spoken of his love for lo-fi recordings, and so an environment where ‘there’s not even a computer in the recording studio’ was ideal for the sort of rough-around-the-edges tone the band were going for. The full-band recording further enabled The Wytches to recreate the furious energy of their live performances onto Annabel Dream Reader, and with Bell and The Coral’s Bill-Ryder Jones at the helm of production, the result is exhilarating. Opener ‘’Digsaw’’ is perhaps the most direct in its tenacity, engulfing its audience in a murky haze of minor scales and filthy chord progressions. ‘She takes all the light’ Bell howls like a man possessed, his vocal chords being battered to a gravely existence. Previous singles ‘’Robe For Juda’’ and ‘’Gravedweller’’ see the three-piece engaging with the same visceral tendencies, unrelenting in their quest to provide as much constructed chaos as possible. The feral nature of Annabel Dream Reader is engrossing, and dangerously addictive.
Now chaos is fine, even inspiring, if orchestrated in the right fashion. This can be the riotous mess that is a live Fat White Family show, or the more politically-driven force that was the Mongol Horde record released earlier this year. The Wytches could easily have derailed and fallen into distorted disarray, but their strength lies in their ability to write a strong track amid the destruction. ‘’Fragile Male,’’ a highlight from the album, could easily be stripped back and redressed as a commercially viable pop record. And in this respect it certainly doesn’t stand alone. ‘’Part Time Model’’ practically saunters into the concluding oblivion, as Bell brings a seductive flair to his game. Just as Stereogum have described Nirvana’s ‘’School’’ as ‘a pop song bathed in pathos and bile,’ Annabel Dream Reader doesn’t sit too far from the same tree, even if the ‘pathos and bile’ is to be replaced with nightmares and sweat.
With eight of the tracks here having been released prior to the album, there was a fear that the record would feel stale pretty quick. Having recorded the album last October, many of the songs have become familiar to those likely to pick up Annabel Dream Reader, and so there was an added expectancy laid on to the new songs, as it would be upon The Wytches’ shoulders to give the record some extra life. The two already mentioned, ‘’Fragile Male’’ and ‘’Part Time Model,’’ maintain the intensity that has become increasingly synonymous with the band’s name, but with a dynamic that isn’t quite as unbridled. Whereas ‘’Gravedweller’’ plays like a ride on a bucking bronco, ‘’Fragile Male’’ is more considered in its development, not as eager to get off the mark. ‘’Part Time Model’’ is similar, but the real highlight is ‘’Summer Again.’’ The longest track on the album, it mourns as opposed to shouts, and reflects true song writing potential on the band’s behalf. Bell’s trademark howl makes an appearance, but gone are the demonic associations, and instead notions of a sadness very humane are evoked. As beautiful as it is morose, it is the undisputed highlight of Annabel Dream Reader, and a compelling signal of intent from the Brighton boys. Having been one of the bands accredited with funds from the Government as an aid to artists in the UK, it is the depth of such tracks that warrants such attention.
‘Yeah, and I really like the darkness in our music, it’s all very funny. It’s supposed to be funny. I don’t know if we’ve achieved that, being like a laugh, but you know, that they can see, that we’re a bit over the top sometimes. That’s funny to us.’ explains Bell in an interview earlier this year, highlighting the unlikely essence of the band’s music. ‘Funny’ can at times seem a strange way to describe the trio’s sound, but upon reflection, is it? Dark doesn’t necessarily mean depressing, and The Wytches never translate it as such. The overt dramatics and imagery (graveyard girls with pendulums?) is more Beatlejuice than Freddie Krueger, and although I wouldn’t use ‘funny’ as my word of choice when describing The Wytches’ sound, Bell’s point is important over the course of the album. Annabel Dream Reader is a haunting, aggressive, beautiful, provocative, energetic record, full of wonderful song writing and an understanding which goes beyond that of most debuts. It just requires people to try and look through the fog and see it for the joyride it really is.
Rating: 4/5
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