“You’re welcome, welcome, you ain’t gotta mention it,” goes the chorus of the second single off of surf rock giants Wavves’ new album, “You’re Welcome.” The album cheekily speaks directly to the fans that, for years, have been demanding a return to form for the band that would herald back to their first two lo-fi heavy albums. Regardless, an album like this bears mentioning for all it does differently — and yet — perfectly the same.
“You’re Welcome” follows 2015’s “V,” the fifth album in the band’s catalogue, perhaps also its biggest departure in terms of sound. “V” received mixed reviews and a somewhat higher than modest amount of appraisal from fans. It wasn’t a bad record nor their worst record, but it marked a massive shift from lo-fi surf rock to a more clean, poppier garage rock sound.
“V” had the cleanest, most bratty sound of all the Wavves albums up to that point, dropping the heavy distortion on the guitars and exchanging it for a good dose of wah and crybaby-sounding distortion. The tempo on every track felt punched up, and the overall sound came out closer to something like a reinvention of early 2000’s indie-punk than a Wavves album. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly doesn’t seem to have gone over as well as the band would have liked.
“You’re Welcome” is an acknowledgement of the concerned fans who thought “V” meant the band was ditching lo-fi and surf rock altogether. This album piles on distortion in troves, crushing the vocals in some songs — a move reminiscent to “Wavvves,” the band’s second album from 2009. The guitar is blown out in a tasteful manner on a number of tracks, and that hyperactive punk sound feels a lot more earned now.
But what makes this album special is that it isn’t a lateral move in any one particular direction. Wavves isn’t swapping out any one sound for another or ditching anything they’ve learned. “You’re Welcome” isn’t trying to distance itself from the band’s past sounds, but it isn’t a mere callback album either. It feels like an incorporation of everything the band has done up to this point.
Take “Daisy,” the first track of the album for example; with a power riff on a crybaby guitar setting, a touch of delay and a very modest amount of distortion, this track would be right at home on “V,” but also stands on its own as a unique and catchy track. It is both familiar and somehow new, harking back to the band’s lo-fi roots and recent history, all while serving as a great encapsulation of the album’s new themes. Meanwhile, the third track “No Shade” would be equally fitting on the band’s first album “Wavves,” just with a higher production value. And what would this album be without a callback to the band’s most popular album, “King of the Beach”? Though it’s perhaps not the most popular song on this album, nor is it referencing the most well received of songs from KotB, the track “Come to the Valley” perfectly encapsulates the whimsical, carnival music vibe of “Convertible Balloon.”
To set this album a part as a work of its own accord however, Wavves did a number of new and interesting things. For one, the production on this album is very different and interesting, utilizing both the punk guitar sounds that make the band surf rock and new synth elements. In this case, it works very well as the synth is used sparingly so as not to be jarring, and all of the other elements for each track are well balanced. The band also works in new themes that elicit a sort of retro ‘80s vibe, twisted and convoluted to sound like a new genre that comes as the result of punk and doo-wop having a demon lovechild. Just one of the many new ideas brought forth by the album, these elements go a long way in keeping the band’s sound fresh.
Ultimately, “You’re Welcome” feels like a fitting new angle for the band to explore. Whether or not it will be well received will depend on how many of the band’s fans can vibe with the new aesthetic. Certainly it’s not a perfect album; about halfway through, you start to run into a few of the more forgettable tracks. But in the end, this is still a Wavves album, and that’s what’s important. There’s plenty there to rave about and, honestly, it all but cancels out the negative aspects of the album. If you’re a fan of Wavves, past or present, give this album a chance. You’ll either love it or hate it, but it’s worth it to find out.
