The self-titled follow up to 2014’s Stop Giving by WRONG is the second release from the group comprised of members from Torche and Kylesa. The group has already had notable support, and they’re known for their killer live shows; as a debut album, the band excels here with their grungy and noise rock production and the ability to capture a live feel via record.
WRONG’s heavy noise rock manages to fill a room—and the recording manages to give the listener a feel of that room, too. With punchy drums that have an air to them, crunching guitars that fill the left and right speakers fully, and reverb on a voice that feels like a hardcore show at a small venue, the audio does the band’s live feel justice. One technique to achieve the room feel is that no instruments are entirely panned to either side; occasionally, a loud, distorted bass will cut through the mix to provide more grit too.
The feeling of undeniable heaviness is apparent from the first few seconds of the album’s opener, “More Like,” coming in at only 1:17. This followed by the faster and more hardcore-based “Turn In,” which continues the feel of the “More Like” at moments when grooves slow down. The second track also showcases a solo about halfway through, which seems a bit unfitting and hard to hear in the mix; this is punk by all means, but seemed unnecessary to me. The unnecessary feeling of guitar leads fades by the next track, “Read,” in which a solo also slides in from nowhere, but captivated my attention; this is one way WRONG manages to keep what could be a very repetitive record fresh, though it doesn’t always work.
“Entourage” is the album’s first melodic track which definitely has more of a Kylesa feel to it than everything previously heard on the record; this provides the listener with a much different feel, and some of the melodies even have tinges of a progressive nature mixed with a surf-punk style. Juxtaposing the melodic “Entourage” with the repetitive and rhythmically focused “Hum Drum” provides the listener with a good track variation to keep the experience fresh. A good mix between both styles is heard in “Stasis.”
The variation midway through the album is a nice change from the expectations I had after hearing the first few tracks, as I was worried that the entire work would be too similar in each song. While I feel that the band manages to vary up each track just enough to keep it fresh, a casual listener would most likely disagree, as many of the guitar rhythms are the same and most songs ring in below the 3 minute mark. Tracks as heavy as “Mucilage” manage to play with dissonance well, which only adds to the heaviness of the work, but I can easily see how someone who doesn’t follow the genre religiously could find the music boring after a few tracks. One way to improve this would be to include more vocals throughout the work, which is the most lacking instrumentation here; however, I know this is a product of the style, and WRONG uses it well.
Personally, this record feels like something that you should buy if you plan to see the band live; it’ll get you hyped up and ready to go. Otherwise, it would work well for a beautiful day mixed with a drive with the windows down and the need for some anti-establishment anthems.
Score: 7/10
