Southern rock debut for Canadian five-piece.
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, The Wild High are a five-piece built around singer-songwriter Jon Harvey (formerly of the band Monster Truck). Harvey describes the band as “a chosen family of musicians (who) collaborate from a place of love, joy and gratitude”. Their first album, Listen To The Wild High, is an independent release available through their Bandcamp page, and (deliberate choice) not currently on any streaming platform.
The Wild High exist in a southern-rock/roots-rock kind of place, and if The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Drive-By Truckers are your cup of tea, then you’re likely to find plenty of joy here. From opening track Cottage Song, the guitars crunch and riff their way through the songs. There is a momentum to the album that seldom lets up, with some neat arrangements, strong tunes and excellent musicality, as well as some cool vocal harmonies.
There is also some nice pacing through the record, with two slower songs punctuating the rockier offerings. Feel All The Love (featuring Bernadette Connors on duet vocals) is a great performance all round, a really classic rock ballad. The chilled Let’s Do Nothing, meanwhile, also has a sultry female vocal part, this time from Chelsea McWilliams.
This is a really enjoyable record, great for the party or the top-down driving experience. If you like your americana on the muscular side, this could be for you.
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