There will always be a thought lingering in the back of This Wild Life fans, asking if their songs could be triumphantly translated into fast-paced adrenaline pumpers. The blatant truth is a resounding yes but to commit to such a dramatic change, would defeat the delicate purpose of this band and their consistent mission to mend broken hearts with a soft guitar strum, rather than an ear battering anthem.
After the great success of 2014’s Clouded, great expectations circulated Low Tides release, marking their third album to date (and their second time working with Copeland’s Aaron Marsh). It is clear that now it is here, their musical movement is a lot about their own struggles. This should not be misconstrued however, as their nursing element has not been removed from their sound and in many ways, recounting similar problems is considered textbook therapy to let those who suffer know they are not alone with their troubles.
Revolving around a relation to the ocean’s dangerous and exciting unpredictability of the currents that lead you out into nowhere or exactly where you need to be, the Low Tides appears with a wider circumference of erratic outcome compared to the last LP, which sole purpose dwelled on being the Florence Nightingale of the acoustic/pop punk world.
Opening on “Hit The Reset” with strong lyrics “Don’t cover me up California, I hardly know ya” concealing themselves in the back of your mind, the reminiscing does not initiate until “Pull Me Out” reintroduces that recognizable and classic harmonisation, that made you fall in love with this band in the first place.
Kevin Jordan remains effortlessly gentle in his singing ability and Anthony Del Grosso dependably scavenges the most appropriate guitar rhythms to complete this successful marriage. Strong examples of this pairing lie in “Just Yesterday” and “Change My Sheets” as they figuratively drift you off into the nostalgic distance.
“Let Go”, briefly featuring The Colourist’s Maya Tuttle, summons an ethereal cloak that covets the track and its big millennial whoop, carrying the swaying momentum and its big message of “learning when to let go” all the way through into its final seconds.
Kevin Jordan was quoted in relation to the pre-release of Low Tides, that they started the album “much more open-minded than we did on the last one because we’ve listened to so much new music over the past three years,” which is very apparent in certain tracks including “Falling Down”, which abruptly emanates something very dissimilar to what is expected and something very similar to an acoustic adaptation of some Justin Bieber chart topper. To most fans, the lack of tracks similar may be considered a blessing but can probably be forgiven as this one-off works very well in its attempts of alteration.The Low Tides roll in with a collection of radio-sculpted tracks, leaving a very different This Wild Life resonance than previously anticipated but inevitably prevails, remaining very likeable.