More about: The Wants

The odyssey into genre-neutral seas continues with New York City’s The Wants and their fascinating debut album Container. Post-punk, new-wave, techno and dance-rock collide on twelve tracks of impeccable production, each a look into the scrupulous, sponge-like mind of Bodega’s Madison Velding-VanDam.

As those who have taken in the band’s impressive singles will know, The Wants execute motorik, kraut-rocking post-punk remarkably well - lead single ‘The Motor’ rises to a dance-friendly but always dark frenzy on the back of spoken word lyrics, relentless guitars and pulsing electronica. Pop, too, is a cinch. Title track ‘Container’ is a dance-punk thrash with its fair share of anxious noise, and the panicked glitch of VanDam’s vocals.

Anxiety is a theme that runs throughout, the bent strings of VanDam’s guitar pin-balling through the Depeche Mode-style societal takedown on ‘Fear My Society’. It’s there too, in the grinding industrial noise of opening instrumental ‘Ramp’, track padding ‘Machine Room’ and full-length soundscape ‘Aluminium’. In bubbling synths, flickering bass and hollow percussion, it’s easy to hear the closeness of Apolcalypse - this Container is the modern-day Can, a re-exploration of genre, now lost of the original positivity The Wants’ forebears seemed to have so much of. 

There are hits in songs that didn’t make it as singles. ‘Ape Trap’ is another dance-rock party with a classic guitar riff that The Wants make feel completely new. ‘Nuclear Party’ toys with anthemic rock, but retains the experimental nature of a band that cannot bear to serve up blandness.

All told, Container puts forward a remarkable suggestion of how the underground music scene can respond to mainstream pop’s continued genre-diversification. Though we aim to identify genres that have come before in order to categorise and contain, as ever it is the emotional impact of a band that identifies its contents. Container is an exhilarating ride that flirts with doom. Scared? They ask. Just dance. 

Container is released on 13 March via Coucil Records.

More about: The Wants