Review: Wild by Streets of Laredo

 

COE Journalist and Photographer, got an early listen to the latest album from Streets of Laredo. This is going to be a must have album for the "folk-heads" wondering what will help them through the fall. Expect more write-ups from the COE hustler moving forward. 

You better start living, you better start breathing, Streets of Laredo is back with their sophomore album, Wild. It’s not every day that you come across a band with more feel than this Brooklyn by way of New Zealand quintet. Their first full length album since 2014, Streets of Laredo proves they still have that crafted indie folk sound as heard in Volume I & II. Produced by John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.), Wild’s crisp feel is not to be taken lightly. Exploring themes of introspection and breaking the norm, Wild could be any of us walking down the road. 

Our new single "99.9%" is out now via Canvasback (US) / Dine Alone (ROW) Spotify : http://sptfy.com/sol999 iTunes / Google Play: http://geni.us/SOL999 http://www.streetsoflaredomusic.com

It only makes sense that this album starts with Wild, a robust track that incorporates the strongest horns section on the album. With the simplistic lyrics, Wild paves the way for the strong musical composition that is heard throughout the album. The first single from this album is 99.9%, and quite honestly they couldn't have chosen a better track. 99.9% reminds you how badly you want that Indian summer to stick around. The Bob Dylan-esque vocals combined with the steady punchy drum beat make this track a standout among this year’s indie folk releases. The second single comes by way of Silly Bones, a light hearted lyrically fun track you can dance down the hallway to. We get a bit of breathing room with the soft tone of Laying Low, but then it’s back to the grind with arguably the second strongest track, Caught The Fire. The horns on this track cut through the mix with ease and compliments the guitar tone right up to the end. Would’ve liked to have heard this as the second single, but it will certainly catch on with any listener. At first listen, Tunnel Vision sounds like it could be a Cage The Elephant track from years past, but the progression leads your ears back to the warm Streets of Laredo sound that you’ve been swooning over since the start. As a final track, Gold shares similar horn qualities as the opening of Wild, and that’s a characteristic to appreciate. It’s difficult not to shed a tear during this track as its sincerity is overwhelming and blissful. “Young Man climbs a willow tree to see what he can find, an even bigger willow tree to climb.” There is always going to be a bigger tree to climb, but Streets of Laredo is well on they way to bigger trees with Wild. 

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group North America Trap For Young Players · Streets Of Laredo Trap For Young Players ℗ 2016 Streets Of Laredo ℗ 2016 Streets Of Laredo, under exclusive license to Dine Alone Music Inc. Marketed in Australia and New Zealand by Cooking Vinyl Australia.