Wolfsmoke | Deadspace
Artist: Wolfsmoke
Reviewer: Dee
Song Style: 2024, alt-fuzz, indie rock, baby metal
Wolfsmoke‘s email arrived in my InBox a little while ago, still smouldering from its trip across the interwebs. Once I detangled it from my overflowing hard disk I ran the SoundCloud link and immediately left the room for the next 5 minutes or less.
In my haste to have a listen and toss a used tea bag in the trash, the first play went through and I didn’t make any notes, except that the song made it all the way through, and I was going to play it again. That was significant in itself. I had been pressing the ‘Next’ button on this new music playlist for a while now. I needed a break. But first, I noticed on my randomized playlister that the AI-not-ai had chosen War on Drugs to be the most closely related sound to what Wolfsmoke were putting down. That had meaning. War on Drugs are my current fav. signed band. I pressed ‘Back’ and sat down to listen.
DeadSpace, in these ears anyway, came across in three distinct movements with an ending that drifted through the air like a symphony of thrashing geese settling down for a cold winter night. DeadSpace is an eerie (ear?) tune with all the hallmarks of real life investment lost during a troubled time. Sure can’t say the lyrical material doesn’t reflect what’s happening in our world right now. But don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a political statement song. Far from it. The female vocalist, Joanne Nash carries the majority of the melody throughout. She is skilled at blending her voice with the rising and lowering intensity of the band’s playing and does so quite admirably for most of the 5 minute tune. A little more alternate melody source for my imagination to ponder could have sent this song over the top for me. But lots of people enjoy as much lyrical content as they can get their ears on. So what do I know? Taste is brutally subjective.
DeadSpace certainly presses all the commercial touch points that make indie music what it is today: breathy but determined and layered. The song’s musical compass steers the instruments up to the edge of various cliffs, which the band skilfully pulls back from, just in time to switch to the next movement: building and then receding, reaching out and reaching back, grasping at the right tone blend that in most cases, not all, clearly resonates with Joanne’s vocal in a very pleasing way. If you like songs that take you for a ride and tell a story, this may be your go to note bag.
For a longer than usual song that fearlessly trespasses over heavy subject matter with ease and aplomb, the tune has a RUSH sensibility: lengthy, poly-rhythmic, dominating vocal melody. I look forward to hearing what they come up with over the span of a dozen songs. DeadSpace is a good start for WolfSmoke. I encourage any indie- listener to give this a good listen or two.
single: DeadSpace, releasing 01-01-25
Source: Mail Request
Website: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wolfsmoke
Song Writer: Joanne Nash, James Banks, Scott Andrews, Josh Cantrill
Omg Jo here from wolf smoke! Thank you for this, it brought tears to my eyes reading it! knowing you understood and wanted to listen again has made me want to do more and better. I’m so proud of what we have achieved and reading this has cemented in my head that I want to carry on. I have doubts all the time in my abilities and I totally agree in what you say about the melody, but this is my only band I ever been in and I am still learning. I feel you have given me a new wind as I was seriously beginning to think I may give up.
Thank you again ❤️