The term emo is an overused and wrongly purposed adjective in today’s music culture, often used to describe overbearing metalcore. To this young writer “emo” music comes from bands of the nineties that are in the vein of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Promise Ring, characterized by a healthy balance of vocal strain and heartfelt lyrics, not sick breakdowns and heavy growls. Athletics–the debut full length from Wavelets—pays excellent homage to the genre while remaining progressive enough to be both current and a breath of fresh air in a dying scene.
Hailing from the notorious Gainesville, Florida (location of The FEST, in case you didn’t know) makes it no easy task for a band to make an impact. The five-piece has self-released a few digital EPs and a split with Senders. They have now been picked up by the newer label Tiny Engines for the release of this full-length, recorded at Black Bear Studios, showing that they are doing something right.
The 9 songs only come to a modest 23-and-a-half minutes and, while the overall experience is enjoyable, this record feels as if it is over far too soon – as if the engine is just getting started before it runs out of gas. Filled with excellent vocal strain from front man Steven Gray and comforting melodic riffs complimented by easy percussion, the album definitely gets the job done. The vocals have rasp that will deter some listeners who – for reasons unknown to me – feel like that have to “get over” them to truly enjoy the music, and the songs never come across harsh because of it. Everything comes across very smoothly and a full listen is both soothing and enjoyable. Eventually the listener will begin to notice that the lyrics are both smart and meaningful. The album carries a great energy that sets it apart from the genre norm of slow and ambient and, while the album has its share of chorus chants, they are infrequent enough that it doesn’t get annoying.
This record is a nostalgia trip to when you were in high school and this music was an escape. It never loses this feel of bringing you back and keeps this keeps you spinning the record time again. While its brevity leaves me wanting more (and I will wait patiently) I am entirely content at the same time due to how well it is done, breathing life into a genre that has grown cold.
