Reviews for Friends #3 Wildewoman

Wildewoman, Lucius

In their debut record, Wildewoman, this Brooklyn-based quintet, fronted by co-lead singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, demonstrate heartfelt and intelligent lyricism delivered in a punchy, engaging style.

I apologise for using this word but, I find them really, well, refreshing – and I don’t refer to their distinctive visual brand (matching twin-like look Wolfe and Laessig). It’s their honest storytelling and musical versatility that appeals to me, making for a really enjoyable, rounded album.

There’s a country-esque mood in Go Home, a couple of soaring anthem tracks in How Loud Your Heart Gets and Don’t Just Sit There, which aren’t really my cup of tea, swinging round to a more acoustic, almost a cappella sound in Two Of Us On The Run and Monsters.

All underpinned by good old honest pop, with funky bass riffs and hand-clapping reminiscent of Motown productions. Which I think just works. It’s authentic and really bloody good. I unashamedly love all the ooh-ing, aah-ing and soaring harmonsing particularly present in numbers such as Turn It Around and Until We Get There (which I’d first noticed months back in an episode of New Girl, and loved immediately). Together the vocal capacity of Wolfe and Laessig really is exceptional and sounds exquisite; a reason to buy this album alone.

They initially, before my exposure to New Girl, caught my eye rather than my ear - with their stand-out 60s inspired look and bold colours. So I was pleased to learn they were not a case of style over substance.

I didn’t really pick up on the girl group vibe that everyone else seems to be talking about – to me they sound a lot more fresh than comparisons to The Shangrila’s etc suggest. Many likenesses have also been made to current female singer-songwriter outfits, such as Haim – but Lucius aren’t half as dull. I feel they have a much more distinctive sound than they are perhaps being given credit for.

They offer a lot of promise. I can’t wait to see them on tour in November, and I know I’ll be whoo-ing, aha-ing and hey-ing along to my heart’s content.