CLASSIC, HONEST ROCK: A PREVIEW OF WAVVES
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. for Wavves' performance at College Street Music Hall
It’s not hard rock.
That’s the first thing. Wavves is hardly the kind of band to scream to while they play.
It’s not indie, either.
That’s the second thing. Despite its name, with its quirky, off-the-path vibe, Wavves steers clear of that realm of synthesizers and breathy vocals.
Instead, Wavves is a rock band — just a rock band. Founded in 2008 by lead-singer Nathan Williams and based in San Diego, it’s a callback to something distinctively early 2000s. Their music sounds familiar, something that might’ve popped up on the radio a decade ago, when bands singing about youth were all the rage. It can’t be a coincidence either, this throwback — after all, their first album in 2008 was released, ironically or no, on cassette tap
However, the music that Wavves puts out is hardly outdated. Instead, it’s managed to remain slickly timeless. It sings about all the traditional things (listen to their song “Way Too Much,” the first single from their latest album “V,” for a quick sample), getting drunk, getting too drunk, wasting time, having fun wasting time, but it doesn’t come off as trite in trying to capture that essential ennui, that essential angst that comes with being young. Maybe it’s because the band embraces its simplicity: it’s just a four-man affair after all, with Nathan Williams, Alex Gates, Stephen Pope, and Brian Hill, vocals, guitars, and drums. Wavves doesn’t have any pretensions toward grandeur: it’s honest, lyrically and sonically.
That’s what makes Wavves so easy to listen to — and to join in on. Even for people who have never heard Wavves play before, their music is universal enough for anyone to slip in, to enjoy if only just for a night. If their music video for “Way Too Much” is any indication (featuring an underground boxing tournament and plenty of table-smashing, glass-breaking, and general chaos), their concert should be just as frenetic — just as carefree. Listen to them play on Saturday at 7 p.m. at College Street Music Hall on 238 College St. Tickets can be found online at Manic Productions for $18.
Also featured are Chicago-based band Twin Peaks and Boston-based band Steep Leans, both known for their garage-rock.