On April 7, 2023, Pitchfork gave out an 8.8 Best New Music review to “one of the best indie rock bands around,” Wednesday, a band hailing from Asheville, N.C., one of the new places to be for the indie realm of singer-songwriters. Think Indigo De Souza, MJ Lenderman (the key guitarist of Wednesday, but also a successful solo musician), and indie legend Angel Olsen. Critics have been raving about these Asheville musicians with Best New Music titles across the board. However, an 8.8 is still nothing to overlook, especially these days in the Pitchfork-sphere (*coughs* St. Vincent’s “Daddy’s Home” sitting at a heinous 6.7…). So, with a score that high and eventually placing fourth in their year-end list, I had to check out Wednesday’s “Rat Saw God” immediately.
In 37 minutes, Wednesday explores the territory of indie-rock (“Quarry”), shoegaze (“Bull Believer”), and alt-country (“Chosen to Deserve), and executes it all with ease. With Greensboro-born lead singer and songwriter Karly Hartzman’s personal and very narrative-driven lyrics, mixed with playful production full of time signature changes and countrified twists, Wednesday has become one of the hot new things in indie music, and one of my personal favorites. This has all been backed up by their impeccable live presence. I have seen Wednesday twice now; once on their home turf at The Orange Peel and the other at Lily’s Snack Bar, right off the App State campus– a small bar that fits no more than 100 people (needless to say, I was a bit deaf for the week that followed). Wednesday has no issue getting up close and personal during their shows, sharing every moment with the audience. So, despite being told by an Ashevillian Trader Joe’s employee who, upon ringing up Karly Hartzman at the checkout, found that she was conceited and had a huge ego, I believe that music and live performance run through each member’s veins, and it makes them beyond overjoyed to share it all with the world.
On May 21 of this year, Wednesday released the lead single off their new album, “Bleeds,” entitled “Elderberry Wine.” This is a pure alt-country banger, showing a much softer side of Wednesday, with Stereogum deeming it this year’s song of the summer. It strays from the noisiness that engulfed many of the tracks on Wednesday’s previous record, but still manages to be a huge highlight in their discography. Nothing but utter joy exudes from this track and always has me banging the steering wheel when it pops up on my Spotify DJ (which is more than often. I absolutely adore this track). The three other singles released for the album bring back the noise. The guitar in the middle portion of “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” is reminiscent of the guitar solo from My Bloody Valentine’s 2013 track, “Only Tomorrow,” and the screaming in the back-half of “Pick Up That Knife” is full of so many voice cracks, that it begins to sound like there is genuine worry in Hartzman’s voice. The singles are great, but how does the rest of the album compare?
From the direction the singles were going, I felt that “Bleeds” would be substantially similar, but a much more polished version of “Rat Saw God.” However, upon first listen, I was surprised to find out this album is much more of an experimentation with the band’s sound. “Reality TV Argument Bleeds” opens the album up with a long fade-in, entering you into the Wednesday soundscape we had all become familiar with. The next three tracks from “Townies” to “Elderberry Wine” follow this vibe, but beginning with “Phish Pepsi,” we see a different side of Wednesday. “Phish Pepsi” still includes relatable and, at times, hilarious storytelling from Hartzman. The line “We watched a Phish concert and Human Centipede / two things I now wish I had never seen,” is a personal standout. In its sound, though, “Phish Pepsi” has muted but intricate instrumentals that constantly have something different going on in each ear. It’s an interesting one, and from this point on, the album continues on a very inconsistent, yet engaging, listen.
“Candy Breath” uses a wah-wah pedal to create some really fun guitar sounds, all the while informing the listener of the rising divorce rate in America. “Wasp” is a straight-up punk-rock track in the realm of songs like “Of Her” and “OK? OK! OK? OK!” off of Mannequin Pussy’s latest record, “I Got Heaven” (one of my personal favorite albums of last year). And the album’s closer, “Gary’s II” ends the record on another perfect country note. These are some of the other standouts, but “Bleeds” does include some moments that I couldn’t really get into. To keep it blunt, the slower songs on this album are pretty boring compared to “Rat Saw God’s.”
“The Way Love Goes” is short and includes absolutely zero punch, especially following “Candy Breath.” On the other hand, “Carolina Murder Suicide” seems like it’s going somewhere big, with cymbals and guitar feedback swelling in the mix, but in its four-and-a-half-minute runtime, it never does. The latter track tries to make up for its dullness with some of the album’s most vivid lyrics, but unfortunately falls flat coming after the one-two-punch of “Wasp” and “Bitter Everyday.” It seems like the singles happened to be the best songs on the record, which is a little bit of a disappointment.
At this point in their career, Wednesday are the biggest they have ever been, and it’s inspiring to see. Four out of the five band members, coming from good old North Carolina, are managing to make it big in the indie scene. They’re a band I relate to when it comes to where and what they’re singing about, which isn’t something I can say about a lot of other groups. On that note, Wednesday’s latest album, “Bleeds,” is a good, even great, album with plenty of standout tracks that create a perfect blend of noise-rock and the current indie craze that is alt-country. But with some of the band’s most forgettable material so far in their career, it falls short of being on the same level as its predecessor. Still, I would say this is an album with plenty to love, and one you should definitely check out.
