#sofia arreguin

[dustedmagazine]

Wand — Laughing Matter (Drag City)

Photo by Kevin Allen

If you were searching for a word to describe the early work of California’s Wand, “patient” might not have made your top ten (or even top 20). Cory Hanson and co. originally leaned more towards the heavier, crunchier side of the garage/psych axis, and even though lengthier songs like the crushing “Planet Golem” showed a capacity for duration, it was less a build than a brick wall. As Wand went from quartet to trio to quintet, though, things changed; by the time of their sprawling, phantasmagorical new album, the dense, doomy tangle of earlier material like “Flying Golem” or even “Sleepy Dog” is nowhere to be found. With the massive (67 minute!) Laughing Matter it feels like the integration process noticeable on last year’s fine Perfume EP (as noted here on Dusted) has indeed birthed a new Wand, one no less psychedelic but a good deal more patient.

Even just the opening “The Scarecrow” feels more deliberately paced than whole Wand LPs of times past, wavering between ascetic focus and a kind of blissful dreaminess. When Hanson gets to the line “a boat is just some wood that wants to burn” it feels like a koan that, if properly meditated on, might unlock the secrets of this album or this band all by itself (are we the matter that laughs?). This kind of reflective, hazy mood hangs over the full ramble of Laughing Matter like a fog, or a fug, of pretty much any kind of smoke you might want it to be. At once prettier and less prepossessing than any previous full-length by the band, the record seems equally well suited for a summer road trip and doing serious contemplation of one’s own navel in a comfortably carpeted rec room. The way you can tell that Laughing Matter works is that the sprawl never feels indulgent, even on the not-strictly-necessary instrumental interludes that dot the track listing, and that they make that kind of inner journey feel purposeful rather than self-centered (no doubt helped by the hints of politics that do slip through, like Hanson sweetly singing “all of our fears will burn with the money, don’t you wonder why?” on the first version of “Wonder” here).  

When Laughing Matter does go overtly softer in a more fully acoustic or balladic direction, as on the D&D travelogue of “High Planes Drifter” or the bittersweetly romantic “Rio Grande,” it calls to mind Hanson’s beautiful psych-pop LP The Unborn Capitalist From Limbo more than anything Wand has previously done, but it also fits right in with the harder edges they still display on tracks like “Walkie Talkie” and the blistering noise howl of “Lucky’s Sight.” There are new elements to be folded in, too; much of the band’s expansion in sound coincides with them adding Robert Cody on second guitar and Sofia Arreguin on synthesizer and vocals. The latter especially makes herself known when she takes vocal lead on the nine-minute, intensely dreamy “Airplane” and the reprise “Wonder (II),” which recasts one of the first half’s most soaringly fuzzy tracks as a drowsy, drifting lullaby.  

Reprises? Instrumental interludes? An increased scope and span from the band’s past work? Sure enough, Laughing Matter is a Major Statement in the classic style, which might have been irksome if Wand hadn’t pulled it off. Successful gestures of this sort can serve the purpose of reminding us why those tropes were satisfying in the first place, and if this album doesn’t quite boast the succinct charms of past releases its makes its own, compelling argument to turn on, tune in, and just let it all wash over you. The minimalist voice-and-guitar Velvet-aping finale “Jennifer’s Gone” sounds like a gentle awakening after what another songwriter might have called a “series of dreams.” In that sense, Wand can make you feel like it’s always a fine time for a nap.  

Ian Mathers

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Versions of Shannon Lay

Photo by Denée Segall

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The story of how LA-based folk singer-songwriter Shannon Lay came to commit to music full-time is legendary. It’s akin to Radiohead seeing Jeff Buckley live leading to Thom Yorke’s heartbreaking performance on “Fake Plastic Trees”, but this time, it’s a different kind of inspirational folk luminary. Lay watched Jessica Pratt’s quiet, contemplative, yet all-encompassing music dominate a room; if there’s a demand for it, she, too, could do it, she thought after watching Pratt’s set. Lay decided to quit her job of 7 years at a vintage shop in August of 2017, the month being the namesake of her best album to date and one of the finest of 2019.

August exemplifies so much that Lay does well. The surprisingly linear spontaneity of opener “Death Up Close”--which starts with a misstep and eventually features a Mikal Cronin saxophone solo--is contrasted by the flaneur of “Nowhere”, an ode to enjoying the circular journey without an end, where her voice travels in the opposite direction of the song’s lilting melody. “Will I ever see through?” Lay asks, but not too bothered, layered over drums and hand claps. She sees the humor and delight in the smallest moments: Gorgeous and simple standout “Shuffling Stoned” is a scene in a record store in New York City, a customer buying weed from his dealer as small spider crawls on his stack of records. Many people would want the spider killed, but Lay sees it as no less a sign of life than anybody else. Most remarkable is “November”, dedicated to the woman left behind, Molly Drake, the mother of the late Nick. “Molly did you feel the sting / Of November songs gone quiet,” she asks, again not expecting an answer but knowing that asking the question, embodying another’s state of mind, is what’s important. 

Live last month at Lincoln Hall opening for Cronin, Lay and her band members (Denée Segall, Sofia Arreguin, and Shelby Jacobson) were effortlessly good. August songs like “Sea Came to Shore”, in studio just guitar and violin plucks, were much more forceful on stage, while old favorites like “Parked” allowed Lay to show off her finger-picking and English folk chops. The band ended their set with an a capella, almost unrecognizable version of Italo house classic “Everybody Everybody” by Black Box, further cementing Lay’s ability to adapt material to suit her style. The audience, even one prepared for the hell-raiser to follow, loved it. It makes sense; if anybody has experience slaying in front of all types of crowds, it’s Lay, who also plays in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band. She’s thankfully unafraid to call out talkers when necessary, as she told me over the phone earlier this year. “Nick Drake quit halfway through his first tour because people were talking during his set,” she reminded me. “People [who talk] don’t have empathy...they’ve never been up on stage,” she added. Ever the wise reader of people, but one too thankful to let it get to her too much, Lay moves on.

During our interview, Lay shared the stories behind some of the songs, videos, and lines from August, as well as explained her inspiration from The Simpsons, true crime, and Nick Drake and Karen Dalton. Read our conversation, edited for length and clarity, below. 

at Lincoln Hall

Since I Left You: A lot of the context of the album you’ve shared in other interviews or through the bio. Is there something else the listener might not pick up in terms of how August is unique as compared to your past releases?

Shannon Lay: I wanted this one to be overtly positive. Not as moody as my last ones. I think that was the main difference that I felt--this undercurrent of joy I had never really had making a record. There was always a heartache involved or a brooding of the state of the world. Now, more than ever, I feel like you gotta do what you want to do. Being able to experience and appreciate that and encouraging other people to do that too.

SILY: Did doing music full-time help you think about things in new ways?

SL: Yeah, for sure. It kind of freed up so much brain space that was taken up by the usual life stuff. It was cool to put all of my energy into one thing I cared about so much. It was a really amazing experience I had never really had.

SILY: What was your job?

SL: I was working at a vintage store called Squaresville. It was a great little store. I grew up there, working there from 19-26. Really formative years of my life. The store bought clothes from the public, so there were all these new faces coming in. The staff would have been an amazing sitcom. Everyone was just the most incredible character. It was a ton of fun. My boss at the time was just so supportive--always let me go on tour and come back. She was a huge reason I was able to do this in the first place.

SILY: That’s nice to hear. A lot of the time when you hear about these types of stories, it’s about escaping some sort of soul-sucking desk job.

SL: I was very lucky. I had a cool environment to be in.

SILY: Do you still keep up with them?

SL: Yeah, for sure!

SILY: The first song on the record--does that start with a recorded misstep?

SL: Yeah, it was a total accident. As we were going through the tape, I just fell in love with that moment. The song comes in so quick, it was kind of a “Roll it!” moment, and then the record just goes.

SILY: So it was something you just heard and were like, “We should keep that in”?

SL: Totally. When we were doing the mastering, they had taken it out, since they thought it was a mistake--we were like, “Put it back in! Put it back in!”

SILY: Where did you get the idea for the video for “Death Up Close”?

SL: Me and the director, Matt Yoka, we had been talking about that idea for a year. We finally had just enough money to pull it off. Matt’s the best in the sense that when he gets an idea in his head, he’s going to make it happen no matter what, so we just had the most fun ever. We built all of it. Everybody was so nice. Most of the people were just volunteering. The concept behind it was mainly the idea of having a safe space in your mind that’s never changing no matter how much you change. For me, that’s obviously The Simpsons, my total safe haven, end all be all childhood memory show, and something I still watch every day. It was amazing to become yellow.

SILY: Is there a specific line or joke from The Simpsons that you think about all the time?

SL: The one that comes to mind is such a weird deep cut. There are tons of them. [laughs] There’s one where George Bush moves into the Simpsons’ neighborhood...this is not funny to anybody...there’s one point where Bart comes over and George Bush yells to Barbara Bush, “Bart’s here, we gotta get him out of here,” or something, and she’s just like, “I’m making pies, it’ll be a while!” That’s the joke that I think of. [laughs] There’s so many. I also love the one where Lisa starts to play hockey and Marge has Milhouse’s teeth from the show before. I’m just like, “Stop showin’ us those.”

SILY: There are so many good Easter Eggs.

SL: Yeah, totally.

SILY: What was the story behind your video for “Nowhere”?

SL: I did that one with my house mate Chris [Slater]. He’s a great director. We just used our phones for that one. I found an 8 MM app that was available. We just went around our neighborhood taking some footage, and he put his editing magic on it. I really like the way that one came out. It was a cool visual moment.

I wish music videos had more of an impact, but I think they’ve become this weird thing. You remember back in the day, Making the Video, and they had a yacht, and it was this huge thing...the new Missy Elliott video totally harks back to it, like she has different looks and different dancers.

SILY: The song “November” references Nick Drake’s mother. You see a lot of songs about a prolific or important singer-songwriter who left too soon. Why did you decide to explore the perspective of his mom?

SL: I guess sort of the fact that he did live at home. It was just a normal night that he went to sleep, woke up, had a bowl of cereal, and took one too many pills. I just imagine his mom waking up in the morning and feeling this silence in the house. It just must have been such a crazy moment. I don’t think it was any secret he had some emotional problem, but you never expect anything like that to happen. Putting myself in her shoes for a minute, and feeling such a strong presence leave the world, it must have been really emotional and intense. At the same time, what he left behind was incredible. He’ll live forever. He’s more alive now than he’s ever been because of how many people have discovered his music. I was thinking about the inherent sadness of losing a loved one, especially someone where everyone outside of them could see their potential, but maybe they’re struggling. It’s a whole thing. [laughs]

SILY: I love the story behind “Shuffling Stone”. Do you like spiders?

SL: I do love spiders. Not when they’re on me, but I do like spiders.

SILY: “Something On Your Mind” was released before this record was even announced. Had you always planned on putting it on the record?

SL: I didn’t, but it just became clear to me that it sums up what I’m trying to portray and how I’m feeling. The amount of people who don’t know who Karen Dalton is--I’d love to spread more awareness of her. I discovered that song relatively recently and it really hit me, so I started playing it live, acoustic guitar and vocals. Whenever someone did know that song, they’d be like, “Dude, thank you so much for playing that song. I love that song.” I think it’s that kind of a tune. If you have a relationship with it, it’s incredibly special, and to discover it is a really beautiful thing. I hope it points people in her direction.

SILY: What made you want to sign with Sub Pop?

SL: When we first finished the record, I kind of did an email blast and sent the record to all the labels we like. Sub Pop got back so fast and were so stoked. I was surprised because they don’t strike me as an overtly folk label, but that was exciting to me to, to be like, “Hell yeah, let’s bring a new perspective to this established, wonderful thing.” Then I met some people from there, and they were the most wonderful people. I’ve never really experienced the resources they have before. There’s a social media guy, and a PR girl. Everybody is working so hard in their specialized zones. It’s amazing to experience and be a part of. They just seemed so down to earth while also being very professional and serious at the same time. They’re awesome.

SILY: They are pretty stylistically diverse even if they haven’t done much folk. Your sound fits just because of that.

SL: Totally, yeah. It opens a lot of doors in my mind of what I could do.

SILY: I read one review that said Jessica Pratt inspired you to dedicate all your time to music.

SL: The first time that I saw her play, I was super deep in the rock scene. I had always been in really loud bands, considering that people want to see that kind of music. I saw her open for Kevin Morby in LA, and the whole room was silent, and she was just captivating everyone. It was incredible to watch. I immediately went home and booked my first solo show. I had no idea people wanted this kind of music, and I had been making that kind of music, so let’s see what happens, let me book a show. She was totally the catalyst for that. I was so in awe of the simplicity and the beauty of what she was bringing to the table. Music like what she makes has a lasting power and timelessness where you can be anyone and anywhere in the world and people will be captivated. It’s amazing.

SILY: Is it hard for you to switch back and forth between your solo shows and playing in bands?

SL: It’s kind of easy. It’s a matter of mindset and what alcohol you’re consuming. [laughs] I always go tequila for the loud shows, wine for the quiet shows. We’re saying the same things, but in very different ways. It’s kind of nice to have both perspectives.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for the new record?

SL: The guy who took the photo, Matt Reamer, mentioned he wanted to do more portrait photography. He had always a lot of live stuff. We took photos, and as I was going through them, I came across that photo. I love how ambiguous it is. I could be thinking about anything in that photo. It’s whatever you want it to be. I had the idea of getting people to do different versions of it, and it became this cool, unique thing of these different perspectives and the evolution of me in the past year. I’ve been doing a ton of cleaning house, checking in, and learning new things about myself and not taking myself too seriously. It’s been a hell of a journey, and seeing these four versions of me felt really appropriate for the record.

SILY: Are you the type of songwriter who’s always working on new songs?

SL: I’ve been kind of stuck lately, because I’ve had a lot of stuff to work on, but there’s always a ton of voice memos on my phone, little snippets I work on in the car. I look forward to when I have a block of time where I can sit down. I’ve written quite a bit of the next record, but I probably have 5-6 songs to go. I’m excited to get back into it.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

SL: I just watched Euphoria. That was really good. It really inspired my eyeliner game. I’m always listening to a lot of true crime. I’m a big true crime buff. It fascinates me--the extremity of people’s actions. That’s what that song “Wild” is about on August--the things we’re capable of.

SILY: That line, “We are kind things capable of the most evil,” is very fitting. You kind of nail nature versus nurture in just that line.

SL: Yeah, totally. It’s wild. [laughs] The age old question.

SILY: Are you a Forensic Files fan?

SL: I am! Whenever I’m in a hotel room, I know it’s gonna be on, and I’m stoked.

SILY: My girlfriend and I struggle to find new episodes. It’s always our “before bed” show, and we’ll start one and midway through be like, “Wait, we’ve seen this one.”

SL: Have you ever listened to a podcast called Small Town Dicks? It’s the voice of Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith, and she has this podcast. It’s amazing because it sounds like Lisa Simpson doing a true crime podcast, but it’s also amazing stories.

Album score: 8.5/10

[senorboombastic]

Live Review: WAND at Band on the Wall in Manchester 29 August 2019

Live Review: WAND at Band on the Wall in Manchester 29 August 2019

Words: Andy Hughes

Full disclosure – The last time we saw WAND, we were craving the room-destroying levels of noise that had first made us take notice of the Californian outfit. Our first outing to see them in a live capacity saw us get just that, the band appearing at Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club in the same form as their heavily watched KEXP session from a few years back. Last year however, wha…

[musicletter]

Il risveglio spirituale di Shannon Lay

★ Il risveglio spirituale di Shannon Lay

Geist, il nuovo lavoro discografico della cantautrice statunitense Shannon Lay, è un album inteso, etero e senza luogo. Un disco folk incentrato su voce e chitarra, che vede il contributo di Jarvis Tavinere, Ben Boye, Devin Hoff, Sofia Arreguin, Aaron Otheim e Ty Segall. Le canzoni di Geist spaziano da una cover concisa ed essenziale di Late Night (Syd Barrett), alla meditativa Rare to Wake,…

[champagnesupernovadpt]

07/ Meatbodies _Alice

Εναλλακτικοί τίτλοι: In-The-fucking-Red-Records-2 / Fuzz-2 / Υποκατάστατο-2. Οι Meatbodies είναι ο Chad Anthony Ubovich και οι φίλοι του. Για το concept του δίσκου: «Alice is no person, no god. Alice is an idea, a feeling, covered in pink lace. Alice is a message, a hidden commentary of modern day, bathed in fantasy, abounding in ecstasy, feeling colors» και «a near fable of fear, sexuality, war, religion, technology, peace, philosophy, hedonism, sociology, evolution, and ecclesiasticism». Για το εξώφυλλο δεν βρέθηκαν πολλές πληροφορίες. Πάντως οι Αμμόλοφοι, οι οποίοι και απεικονίζονται στην πάνω φωτογραφία, θα μπορούσαν εύκολα να είναι η θέα από αυτά τα συμμετρικά παραθυράκια. Για την ιστορία ας αναφέρουμε μερικά credits: για τη γενική καλλιτεχνική διεύθυνση ο CAU* (δηλαδή ο Chad Anthony Ubovich), για τη φωτογραφία η Ada Rajkovic και για το ‘Design [Construction]’ η Sofia Arreguin, ναι η Sofia των Wand, η φίλη του κολλητού μου του Evan.

[jungleindierock]

Wand - Bee Karma

Bee Karma is a track from, Plum, new album from Wand, available on LP/CS/CD/Digital, released by Drag City on 22nd September 2017. Video was directed by Cory Hanson.

Wand is an American psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2013. The band consists of Cory Hanson (vocals, guitar), Sofia Arreguin (synth, vocals), Robert Cody (guitar) Lee Landey (bass) and Evan Burrows (drums).

[pursuedbear]

Wand "Bee Karma" (Official Music Video)

Track from "Plum" by Wand, available on LP/CS/CD/Digital, released by Drag City on September 22, 2017. 

Wand is an American psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2013. The band consists of Cory Hanson (vocals, guitar), Sofia Arreguin (synth, vocals), Robert Cody (guitar) Lee Landey (bass) and Evan Burrows (drums).

[raclette-foce]

SAB 10.02 — Studio FOCE | 21:30 — Ingresso CHF 15.- / LC, LCC CHF 12.- Prevendite su www.biglietteria.ch Evento organizzato in amicizia con Dead Valley Skeletons

I Wand non possono essere definiti una band particolarmente celebre, specialmente nella vecchia Europa, eppure hanno tutte le carte in regola date le sonorità proposte, per poter essere presi in considerazione da una fetta di pubblico ben più ampio. Il nuovo disco del quintetto di Los Angeles è uscito via Drag City lo scorso 22 settembre e si intitola ‘Plum’. Anticipato da due singoli, la title-track e ‘Bee Karma’, il nuovo disco (il quarto LP in studio) di Cory Hanson (reduce peraltro dalla pubblicazione del suo primo disco solista, lo scorso novembre) e compagni (Sofia Arreguin, Evan Burrows, Robert Cody, Lee Landey) costituisce un superamento definitivo di quelle sonorità garage e psichedeliche che avevano inizialmente fatto considerare la band come uno dei tanti fenomeni che avevano seguito il boom di artisti come Ty Segall e Mikal Cronin.

Il songwriting di Cory Hanson è più maturo, le sonorità sono meno aggressive, gli arrangiamenti più studiati e i riferimenti, più che essere ricercati negli artisti già menzionati, oppure in band psych come gli Thee Oh Sees, vanno verso un pop-rock intellettuale. Senza considerare i riferimenti di matrice britannica, a partire dai Beatles, fino ai Radiohead di Thom Yorke e i Blur di Damon Albarn. Con questo ultimo lavoro Cory Hanson e i suoi compagni si propongono come portatori di una tradizione alternative Made In USA, cominciata negli anni novanta con i Pavement e continuata con band come The Shins e Wilco. Un evento imperdibile la data allo Foce, sia per chi già li conosce, sia per chi ha voglia di scoprire una nuova band da aggiungere ai propri preferiti.

[musicalhitchhiker]

Wand - Plum

Los Angeles çıkışlı psychedelic rock topluluğu Wand, 2013′te kuruldu. Grubun çalışkan üyeleri geçen yıl solo albümler de yayınladılar. Grup lideri Cory Hanson’ınki daha ön plana çıkmış olsa da, Mannheim’da kendisi ile konuştuğumda her bir üyenin solo albüm yayınladığı bilgisini verdi. 2015 yılı içinde 2 tane stüdyo albüm paylaşan grup, 22 Eylülde yayınlayacağı Plum albümüyle geri dönüş yapacak. Albümle aynı adı taşıyan ve klavyeci Sofia Arreguin vokal desteği ile kaydedilen şarkının videosunu izleyebilirsiniz.

[taxiboys]

Group show at Patrick Gomez 4 Sheriff

[dustedmagazine]

Shannon Lay — Geist (Sub Pop)

Photo by Kai MacKnight

Geist by Shannon Lay

Geist is album number four from LA-based singer-songwriter Shannon Lay, and her second for Sub Pop following 2019’s August. The basic guitar and vocal tracks were recorded by Jarvis Taveniere (Woods), then musicians Ben Boye (Ty Segall), Devin Hoff (Sharon Van Etten), Sofia Arreguin (Wand) and Aaron Otheim (Mega Bog) added further instrumental layers. At the heart of it all, Lay’s voice flows coolly in multi-tracked waves over deftly fingerpicked nylon-string guitar, with understated support from the other musicians. Everything glows with a wonderfully forgiving warmth and subtle fortitude, generating the kind of intimate, reassuring atmosphere that feels unique to well-executed folk music.

Geist’s strengths are exemplified best in the opening two singles, “Rare to Wake” and “A Thread to Find.” Cyclical, radiant guitar arpeggios lull the ear, as Lay intones simple truths in pleasingly melodic arcs. During the latter, the line “You’re on your own but not alone” presents one of the themes common to many of the songs here: finding inner strength through solitude. “Sure” is an achingly beautiful waltz in the spirit of Nick Drake, enriched with piano and strings, and “Shores” features a succinct, trumpet-like guitar solo from none other than Ty Segall. The largely a cappella “Awaken and Allow” surrounds Lay’s voice with a celestial halo of reverb, while the cadence of the melody and the drones that swell at the song’s conclusion lend the flavor of a Celtic hymn: “Do not resist, new forms are calling / They patiently await embrace / Do not stop change in favour of comfort / A bud cannot resist to bloom / The more I learned, the less I knew / Allow the nature that is you.” 

A tropical shimmer of marimba makes a welcome appearance on the title track, conveying the light-hearted joy expressed in the lyrics. On her cover of Syd Barrett’s “Late Night,” Lay strips away the warbling slide guitars of the original, which suggest a psyche unspooling, instead grounding the song in the touching sentiment of the lyrics: “Inside me I feel, alone and unreal / And the way you kiss will always be a very special thing to me.” 

This sense of feeling alone and detached, while also gratefully connecting with the solace offered by others, runs like a thread throughout the record, alongside the theme of accepting the constancy of change. Geist may not be the kind of album to offer easy escapism, but it’s humble, heartening and wise — good reason to hold these songs close during troubled times. 

Tim Clarke

[dustedmagazine]

Wand — Perfume (Drag City)

Everyone concerned has decided that the new Perfume from protean garage psyche outfit Wand is an EP, and why not? At six songs (and one brief, inconsequential interlude that mostly serves to separate the two sides) it’s significantly more compact than the band’s four LPs from 2015-17. Looked at another way, though, and you’ll notice it’s only a few minutes shorter than 2015’s very fine psych-pop effort 1000 Days, and it’s the most consistently stellar release the band have put out since their other 2015 record, the seismic Golem. Which is to say, some EPs are throwaways or for the devoted only; Perfume is one of the very best things Wand has yet released, and just as solid as their best “proper” albums. 

That being said, Perfume also marks only the second major Wand release since going from a trio to a quintet (guitarist Robbie Cody and keyboardist/second vocalist Sofia Arreguin both very much in evidence here) and continuing to expand their palette, notably so in the wake of frontman Cory Hanson’s gorgeously lysergic folk pop LP The Unborn Capitalist From Limbo. Which doesn’t mean that Wand can’t still shred; the opening, seven-and-a-half minute title track proves that twice, pivoting neatly at the mid-point between a frantic rocker that slowly coalesces into a thick drone and a new, instrumental version of itself with an even more compulsively slamming riff. The howling guitar switchbacks of the following “Town Meeting” (and the eventual, organ-led chaos that it descends into) and later, aptly-named chugging instrumental “Train Whistle” demonstrate aptly that if anything Wand have gained muscle with the recent changes.  

It’s the other three tracks on the EP that show another aspect of the band’s music coming more fully into its own, though. Wand have always had a softer side, first coming into full focus on the gloriously hazy “Melted Rope” back on Golem and more recently providing one of the highlights on 2017’s slightly scattered Plum with the sweetly sung existentialism of “The Trap,” but there’s always been a bit of a separate feeling to them, as if the album comes to a bit of a halt because now it’s time for the ballad. Here “The Gift” and especially “Pure Romance” soar and swoon in a way that feels more integrated with the rockier tracks around them, and not just because there’s a little skronk in the corners on both. And the closing duet for Arreguin and Hanson on the outright ravishing closing “I Will Keep You Up” segues so smoothly out of “Train Whistle” that it feels like a natural outgrowth of the latter. 

The result, EP or not, deserves to stand with any of the LPs Wand have produced during a short but already extravagantly fertile career. If the less immediately compelling bits on Plum felt like the necessary process of a newly-enlarged band figuring out their limits, the consistently enjoyable and surprising turns that Perfume takes suggests that whatever direction Wand is headed in next, it will be worth listening for it. 

Ian Mathers