EP Review: Wilmette – Self Titled

I damned Wilmette’s Anxious Body EP with faint praise earlier in the year, suggesting it was somewhat lacking in originality. When this self-titled follow-up came across the desk, I was apprehensive. Well, here’s the good news: Wilmette have cooked up at least a flavour of that special sauce the previous outing lacked.

I can’t pin down what it is, which suggests that there hasn’t been a self-conscious change of direction. I couldn’t even tell you if these six songs spring from the same sessions or not. But there is something extra going on.

The Wilmette EP as a piece is altogether a ballsier piece of work. Yes, it’s still clever and sometimes over-complicated punk-emo-pop that stutters and thunders, but there’s something about the dynamic of this EP that makes the ride more exciting, more affecting. There’s an extra energy and urgency apparent that pushes this onwards and upwards.

The EP kicks off with Show And Tell, which encapsulates the Wilmette method in one neat three-minute package. It’s busy and disjointed, passionate yet dissolves into a sublime, almost restful coda. And that could be all you need to know about Wilmette. That’s their thing now. Adderall is more familiar punk-pop, with a less chaotic and more risk-averse structure and sound.

Top of the pile is Rancho Cucamonga, which waltzes its way through a powerful catalogue of heavy yet tuneful riffing and powerhouse rhythm. Alchemy is as close as Wilmette come to dishing up a toe-tapper, but they’re not prepared to be that obvious, so the melody is wilfully undermined by trademark timing changes and changes in intensity.

Six tracks, all around three minutes a pop. Not easy or relaxing listening. To derive the maximum benefit, this EP would require repeated listening. But it’s worth persevering. If well-executed but difficult and emotional punk pop is your bag, buy this. Expect the unexpected. Very nearly four stars.

Wilmette‘s self titled EP can be purchased on CD here and digitally here