Indie pop mellow melody makers
Wake Rider’s recently released its first eponymous full length EP, and the chillness is extremely real. The technical prowess of music students is evident here, but Eric Skinner’s icy, disaffected vocals coat it evenly, blending well with the songs, as some Diamond Dave-type (lol can you imagine) would push this over the edge. It’s also a refreshing and clever tactic that more bands could stand to take up—staying within your range. Themes of existential discontent, love and general 20something malaise mesh with the sunny sounds like salt on chocolate. “Compassion Fatigue” and “It’s Starting Now” shows the band at its most driving, and “Catch a Wave”, “Wake Rider Strut” and “Shoreline” provide looser structured instrumental breaks.
Taken as a whole, the album has a uniformity that rides the line between cohesiveness and sameness. But there’s a lot to be said for a band that does one thing and does that one thing well.