Wunderhorse - “Midas” (2024)
Apparently, Wunderhorse has brought 90s rock back into the mainstream successfully, confirmed by popular opinion and all the grunge comparisons that I will be making throughout this review. The UK rockers (lead singer Jacob Slater) have lived up to the hype thus far and continue the momentum with their second album Midas. The main figure put forth to promote the album, mentioned in both interviews from Slater and on the cover art, is this Midas persona. Here’s a lyric to give you an image of this dude.
“I searched to find the fracture in his tombstone facelift, and he fixed me with the coldness of the kingdom in his eyes” - “Midas”
This stern, intimidating figure is given some kick-ass theme music on “Midas”. Not too much else is mentioned of him throughout the album, though, which I find a bit disappointing. The opener carries right into the following track, “Rain”, which seems to be built off of the leftover chords from “Midas”. The loose, spontaneous opening to this track almost makes it seem like the band is doing sound-checks, but it really just brings out their grungy style that much more.
This same opening tactic is taken a step further on the intro to “July”, which appears later on in the album. For starters, you hear a distorted electric melody that morphs into a predictable progression, up until a straight up grunge rock explosion. Feels like a bomb infused with the smell of cigarettes, sweaty socks, and urinal cakes just went off.
Contrast has such a profound effect in rock music for me - fast to slow, intense to mellow, etc. Wunderhorse does a good job of balancing the grunge peaks with a few indie tracks in the middle of the album - “Cathedrals”, “Superman”, and “Silver”. Any of these songs could belong to the Smashing Pumpkins, I might add. On “Cathedrals”, a great groove teeters between indie and grunge/punk sounds, as the band walks the line on the two genres that they do best. A hard-hitting opening reverts to a softer sound for the verses, then the intensity is cranked up once again.
There are some really nice paradoxes in the lyrics as well, aligning with the sonic highs and lows of the track effectively.
“Horses in all flames…Beauty inside pain…The cathedrals are on fire”
Another point where Wunderhorse diverges to a new sound is on “Superman”, which comes two tracks before. Upon first listen, hearing an acoustic guitar throughout this song was no doubt refreshing, but doesn’t really go anywhere from there for me. On the other hand, “Silver” offers serious storytelling accompanied by a supporting bassline that is set to perfection. A lot to unpack on this tune, but the looming story entails this feeling of messed up beginnings that was caused by some form of abuse. As a result, Slater is left with this lasting sense of imperfection that he carries with him through life.
Imperfection: “I’ve always known an anger, / and I’ve always known a shame”
“Yeah, I was crooked from the cradle, / I’m a bastard from the start”
Abuse: “So spill me all your secrets, / I’ll sell you off for parts”
“Fill your head / With somethin’ dark / Somethin’ dark”
More deep thoughts and topics come on the following track, “Arizona”. Slater gives us some vivid lyrics and images that point to an abortion that seemingly took place. Who’s abortion? That question is yet to be answered. Along with another repeated phrase in the song “Where do you go to my love?”. His songwriting skills really shine on this one, bringing us analogies that are stark and depressing.
“There’s a space that’s always empty / There’s a ghost without a name / There’s the whisper of the candle / At the snuffing of the flame”
Understandably so, Slater is his most raw self on both “Silver” and “Arizona”. The former features a cutting, emotional guitar solo that speaks for itself, while the latter has Slater screaming those sad, sad lyrics at the song’s close.
Also mixed in are the songs “Emily” and “Girl” that don’t offer a whole lot to the album in the grand scheme of things. While “Girl” does have a moody, Cure-like feel to it, these two tracks stand out to me as a break in the album’s cohesion above anything else.
However, the closure we get on the final song, “Aeroplane”, makes up for it.
A title like that just needs its own acoustic melody to go with it, and believe me, it is there. Just listen. The radiohead effect is there for sure, as the slow-building and steady strumming serves as its own zen. Childhood memories flood my mind when listening to this song, conjured up by the gentle, innocent tune being played. It doesn’t stay this way for too long though, as an electric guitar eventually rises from the depths, taking over this song and giving the album a numbing sense of closure.
This is a side of Wunderhorse that I need to see more of. They didn’t explode into a full-on rock jam on this, but lingered in that psychedelic space for a bit. Kind of like they did on their first album with “Poppy”. I need more of this from them going forward. But until then, Wunderhorse is 2/2 and well on their way to making rock, rock again.
