Blending genres together can have varying degrees of success. So when you see the words 90s alternative rock mixed with black metal, on paper that combination really shouldn’t go together. Enter Wishfield; a band who are not to be defined by genre boundaries, but instead make a sound which is truly like no other. One minute the quartet will smash out some growling vocals over blast beats, then in a blink of an eye fuzzy guitars will be accompanied by some gruff melodic voices.
There are times where you sort of wish that the band would pick a lane and stay in it, as there are occasions where it feels like there is a lot for the listener to take on board, resulting in some of the compositions missing the mark. However, even though the polarising styles and sounds on their self-titled debut are at times quite jarring to listen to, the ear soon adjusts and you are soon swept along for the ride. The album’s opening track ‘Something’ lays down the foundations, entering with the whirring guitars before the introduction of the blast beats and Mariah Timm’s docile vocals. Its all a lot to take in at first, but as the album progresses everything seems to slide into place, and by the time ‘Nothing’ comes around, what Wishfield are going for seems to click.
Many of the tracks begin quite delicately, with soft vocals bolstered by reverbed guitars, but it is the blast beats which really drives the tracks forward before Timm’s melody carries them to their conclusion. However, just when you think you have the band figured out the track ‘Three Seconds (Radio On)’ appears sounding like it could be an indie rock track you hear on daytime radio, proving Wishfield just want to keep listeners on their toes.
The music stylings of Wishfield may not be to everyone’s tastes, and the album isn’t the easiest thing to digest, but the ambition of the record is something to be applauded and they have created something fresh and exciting. The question is: where do they go next?
Wishfield is released via Tridroid Records on 1st November and can be purchased on tape here and CD here.
Words: Tim Birkbeck
