EP Review: Wild Truth - Drift

Words have always been flexible, but within the world of music, 'rock' is one that has truly been stretched to the limit. Rock has encompassed Jerry Lee Lewis pounding his piano, Bob Dylan playing electrified folk, Led Zeppelin's massive blues, Bon Jovi's sheen, Nickelback's dinge, and now music like Walk The Moon that doesn't quite fit in with the pop scene. There isn't a logical through-line between all of them, yet they all embody 'rock' in some form or fashion. As much as the endless sub-genres become too much, I absolutely understand why they are needed.

Wild Truth are a rock band in the same sense that Walk The Moon is. They are more of a pop band, but there isn't really a place in pop for music right now for what they are doing. Guitar based pop music is a bit of a throwback, even when it's trying to be very much of the moment. Hearing the slightly funky guitar riff open "Pressure" sounds so unusual, given how little guitar is out in the mainstream these days. Things build to the chorus, where the band remains restrained and doesn't go all-out. The vocals are completely different, but we're in the same realm as Maroon 5 when they were actually a decent band (that would be "Songs About Jane").

"No Filter" opens with a falsetto vocal line that is half Fall Out Boy, and half "Feel It Still". Once I heard that, it was a bit hard to shake the thought. It works as a pop song, for sure, but I'm not sure if it is working entirely on its own, or because of the comparison it evokes in my mind. Or perhaps that is the point, and the band is shrewdly using my memory to welcome their own song in.

"The River" is my favorite track here, with a laid-back flow and a chorus that hits just right. This might sound an odd thing to say, but I almost with the band went even further down the pop route. There is definitely that approach across these five songs, but it almost feels subdued compared to how far they could go. That fits with the times, where pop music is rather dour, but something even bigger and brighter might stand out from the crown even more. There is such a thing as too much, but Wild Truth isn't close to crossing that line yet.

Other than Taylor Swift, I have been largely divorced from pop music for quite a while. The reason is that pop music and I grew apart in different directions. If pop sounded like Wild Truth, I would buy in again. "Drift" is five songs of smooth, fun, and accessible music that mixes pop and rock together into what could be the modern template. There are plenty of reasons to enjoy Wild Truth, even in this condensed format.