Review: With Self-Titled debut, Wilderado Further Their Long-term Prospects

Wilderado/self-titled/Bright Antenna
3.5 out of Five Stars

Simple and succinct, Tulsa-based band Wilderado’s full-length debut provides a follow-up to the group’s three earlier EPs and initial series of singles. With a sound that finds a fine fit that’s well within the realms of today’s current musical template, the trio rock effusively over the course of ten tunes, making good use of sonic suggestion and the ability to build melodies that culminate with triumphant tones. It allows for a generally agreeable approach and one well suited to any outfit that aspires to the status of proven festival favorites. 

Credit Wilderado’s propulsive energy for stirring up their sound, given the kinetic thrust that propels such songs as “Astronaut,” “Head Right,” “Mr. Major” and “The Worst Of It” and creating a dynamic that’s both energized and effusive. That in itself creates a compelling sound, one that’s reliably resilient and not contingent on any quirks, gimmicks, or unexpected twists or tunings. It allows Wilderado to seize a style that’s immediately accessible, and even when there’s the occasional shift in stance—when, for example, the band shifts suddenly from the soothing sentiments of “The Window” to the decidedly determined “Outside My Head, only to eventually conclude with the mellower musings of the final track, “Help Me Down”—the quality remains consistent regardless.

The opening lines of the aforementioned “The Window” sum up that philosophy rather well: If you want it you can have it, But don’t let it get to you… In other words, listeners ought to allow the music to sweep them along, and once that occurs, simply go along for the ride. That’s tact this trio takes throughout, one that’s seemingly effortless, but easily engaging all at the same time. Wilderado imagines itself as a force to be fully reckoned with, not to mention a band that’s sure to find a faithful following all at the same time.

Photo by Grant Spanier