Wild Loneliness

by Superchunk

Overview

Superchunk's distinctively high-strung fuzz pop leaned into dissonance, speed, and righteous anger on their agitated, punky 2018 album What a Time to Be Alive. Twelfth studio album Wild Loneliness reverses course, exploring a wider range of instrumentation, textures, and songwriting choices without losing any of the power the band exhibits in their more explosive moments. Their signature melodic sensibility is still instantly recognizable, but instead of overdriven guitars doing the heavy lifting, acoustic guitars high in the mix are the driving force behind most of the songs. Soft piano flourishes ornament songs like "On the Floor," understated horn sections support the pushy rhythms of "Highly Suspect," and an all-out sax solo shows up in an instrumental break in the title track. Similarly subtle string arrangements appear on album-opener "City of the Dead" and "This Night," adding touches of sophistication and depth. Wild Loneliness is a canvas for this kind of approach. The chorus of "Endless Summer" features triumphant, restrained vocal harmonies from members of Teenage Fanclub, and closing track "If You're Not Dark" begins with a patient synthesizer drone that opens up into fingerpicked acoustic guitars and builds into a steady, thoughtful anthem. It's not all soft and introspective fare, though, as the band still clunks and pogos their way through the distorted "Refracting." Wild Loneliness is hardly the first time Superchunk has showed another side of their sound, though. Throughout their 30-plus-year run, the band's discography has periodically strayed from the jittery pop of their earliest songs to experiment with toned-down arrangements. The general upbeat tempos, the inclusion of at least one overtly aggressive rager, and the fact that most of the material would work just fine arranged as meat-and-potatoes rock songs all suggest that the more refined delivery is part of a larger statement. Lyrical nods to repeating cycles and changing as time goes on also play into a sense of maturation that's reflected in the album's graceful sonics. Wild Loneliness shows Superchunk still evolving and reaching for new expressions, even decades into a well-established style. The result of this envelope-pushing is one of their most nuanced and emotionally engaging albums in years, arriving at a different kind of immediacy than can be achieved with loud guitars and angsty hooks. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	02/25/2022
Label:	Merge
UPC:	0673855078014
Rank:	65231

Tracks

1. City of the Dead
2. Endless Summer
3. On the Floor
4. Highly Suspect
5. Set It Aside
6. This Night
7. Wild Loneliness
8. Refracting
9. Connection
10. If You¿¿¿re Not Dark

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Superchunk   Primary Artist
Laura Ballance   Guitar (Bass)
Tracyanne Campbell   Vocals
Franklin Bruno   Piano
Jon Wurster   Drums,Percussion
Mac McCaughan   Piano,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jim Wilbur   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Norman Blake   Vocals
Owen Pallett   Strings
Mike Mills   Vocals
Raymond McGinley   Vocals
Kelly Pratt   Horn
Andy Stack   Saxophone
Sharon Van Etten   Vocals

Technical Credits

Superchunk   Composer
Laura Ballance   Group Member
Jon Wurster   Group Member
Mac McCaughan   Engineer,Producer,Group Member,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Wally Gagel   Mixing
Luc Suer   Bass Engineer
Jim Wilbur   Group Member
Owen Pallett   String Arrangements
Kelly Pratt   Horn Arrangements
David Barbe   Engineer
Matthew Barnhart   Mastering
Daniel Murphy   Design
Farah Al Qasimi   Cover Photo