When you try to describe something to someone that is unfamiliar with that particular thing, I’m going to assume you try to compare it to something. “You haven’t had gator before? It sort of tastes like chicken.” Sound familiar? Well, if you’re normal, much unlike yours truly, you probably don’t do weird things like that at all. At any rate, be prepared to have your mind blown wide open, for WVNDER is quite possibly the most groundbreaking product of the modern music industry.
Coming all the way from Frederick, Maryland, WVNDER is a rock group that is truly something unique that I personally cannot compare to anything currently in existence. With Andy Cizek on vocals, Jack Rentschler and Danny Salsbury on guitar(s) and singing soothing, soaring harmonies, and Brett Schleicher killing the skins, this band brings something to the world of music that I hadn’t heard of prior to this great find. With the elegance and innovation the guitar duo creates, you might not even recognize the lack of a bassist if I hadn’t typed this sentence. The sounds these men produce when they band together and create this beautiful music are brilliant. I discovered WVNDER just over one year ago while watching vocalist Andy Cizek’s YouTube covers of some of my favorite songs. After I heard him cover my favorite Dance Gavin Dance song, and do so while giving Tilian Pearson a run for his money, I HAD to see the band this soon-to-be-star was the frontman of. I found WVNDER and was almost immediately obsessed. The band just released “Precipice,” their second full-length album, under their record label We Are Triumphant. Every single track is both alike to and different from the next one, and leaves the listeners in awe each and every time. I am severely impressed with the hard work and strong efforts that went into creating this musical masterpiece. Trust me; this is an album you’ll want to cop.
“Precipice” opens with the band’s second single, “Afterimage.” Personally, I would also have chosen this song to begin the album with. It is incredibly emotional, and that aids in setting the tone for the whole record. The emotion woven into this song is unreal; Andy pours his heart out in his vocals in this track. Smooth guitar tracks and soft drum rhythms pair well with the beauty the melody and harmonies fabricate. Lyrically, this is probably my favorite song on the album. Andy paints this picture of one being left behind in someone’s past, and feeling like we just got close to them, only to be “left in despair” time and time again. Like any participant in a loving relationship, the main character in “Afterimage” is saddened by the cratered remains of what was once something pure and beautiful. Constant analyzation turns to chilling realization at the end of this track; the singer realizes that the following of what I assume to be an ex-significant other is something that, while painful, should be left in the past.
The album then does a complete 180 with “Character Blur.” This track is a great followup to the album’s opening number. Questions like “what ever happened to your self worth?” help the character in “Afterimage” realize the truth about the other half in the relationship that no longer exists. The ex’s character was literally blurred to the singer, and the clarity that follows the breakup is the one thing they needed most. This untrustworthy, selfish, ignorant character is someone that nobody should involve themselves with. Being “too stubborn to make amends” and having a “corrupt morals” are two qualities that are usually deterrents in regards to relationships. As a writer and a vocalist, the best part of the song was most definitely the lyric, “...while you’re sleeping with the devil in his lover’s bed.” Not only is this person low enough to sleep with someone that is compared to the Devil, but they are doing so in his lover’s bed; this two-in-one deal is not one that I would be attracted to. “Character Blur” helps reverse the direction the canvas the band painted on in the opening song to an area with a solid atmosphere of clarity and solace.
“The Dark” describes the fallout of any relationship turned sour. Lyrics talking about pill intake and other negative forms of coping portray a plethora of feelings someone who has experienced something similar to this has ever had. “Will I always be trapped inside, or are there ways to leave the mind?” Feeling like you’re trapped in your own head is one of the most difficult things to experience, simply because it always feels like there is nobody else to help you. How can one help you cope with your own feelings when you’re the one trapping yourself inside your own mind? When the chorus starts off with “call my name in the dark...so I can find you,” I don’t think the singer is necessarily directing that at the same person the first two songs are talking about. I feel like the “you” the person is trying to reach is just someone to understand them. This song is definitely one of the more relatable ones on the album, and I think that will speak volumes to anybody who happens to take the time to enjoy “Precipice” in its entirety.
Track number four, “Goodbye,” allows for some final closure for anyone who puts themselves in the shoes of the singer. The mentioning of hopeless heartache and final fights create a solemn sound in this song. Personally, when the song talks about watching the stars and seeing life pass you by, I hear the singer confessing that they miss the old reality that was the previous relationship, and this new reality is too hard to live with. “Take a breath and say goodbye” makes me feel like they aren’t equipped to cope with this new life they have without the significant other, and they’re just ready to take it all away. “Goodbye” is certainly a song that hits home for anyone who’s ever dealt with the bad breakup of a painful relationship.
Following “Goodbye,” “Crier” turns the frowns upside down! The introductory guitar riffs are fast-paced, and immediately change the listener’s mood. To me, this song is the singer talking to himself at parts, reassuring himself that this is the best life for him. The song is then immediately directed to that person in particular, telling them how selfish and wrong they were to act the way they did. I am absolutely amazed by the following lyrics: “There is a difference between mistakes and selfish decisions; it leaves an imprint on everybody around your collision.” Presumably, the goal here is for the toxic ex to realize the consequences of their decisions. Maybe they thought they were fixing a mistake, but couldn’t realize their harmful choices within their own selfish decisions. What an incredibly powerful and moving lyric. I imagine there will be no more crying over the supposed “loss” of this person, and the main character is finally coming to terms with how much better off they’ll be without someone so poisonous in their lives.
“Other Worlds” is the next track on the album. This piece discusses what I feel the majority of troubled souls go through. No matter where we are from, or what we do, we will all sometimes feel that we don’t belong. Maybe there are “other worlds,” if you will, where we can succeed, or at least find some happiness. Speaking from experience, I think we are all looking for a world in which we feel some sense of belonging and purpose. Regardless of what form we decide to put it in, our cries for help aren’t heard when/where/how we want them to be, and that causes serious doubt and frustration. WVNDER really tugged at my heartstrings on this one.
“Spellbound” is another song that almost perfectly portrays how someone can fall for someone they really aren’t supposed to. Andy says it loud and clear in the first line of the first verse: “I know I met you at the wrong time, but I can’t schedule my feelings since I’m no good at dealing with my own life.” I don’t know how he does it, but Andy Cizek never ceases to pull through and amaze me with his astonishingly accurate lyrics. This song is particularly unique due to the odd yet pleasing twist of the way Andy sings a brief couple of lines about halfway through; the fast-paced lyrics in coming from left field are a great example of how musicians use contrast to portray their art in a creative fashion. I’m sure all of us have been spellbound by someone, and most likely at the wrong time in our lives. The spells cast on us in our pasts can and will often lead us to something truly amazing, and this song sets up that scenario for the album to bring to a beautiful close with the last few tracks.
Being the huge Emarosa fan that I am, I was blown away when I first viewed the tracklist for “Precipice.” BRADLEY WALDEN, current vocalist for Emarosa, is featured on “Limbo.” I still can’t get over that. Not only is Andy Cizek a vocalist I would kill to work with, but he was able to work with another incredibly talented singer as well. “Limbo” describes the period after a breakup that is all-too familiar. Nobody gets over something so dramatic and intense immediately, and no one stays stagnant in sorry forever. This comparison drawn to the Catholic ideal of the middleground between Heaven and Hell is both unique and effective. Needless to say, Walden’s performance on this track was absolutely flawless. What a cool way to help close out a spectacular record.
“Stay Away” is probably my second favorite track on the album. The whole song talks about being “back in the chase again,” and trying to successfully move on after that bad breakup. We all want to find love in something new and true. The lyrics warn any potential newcomers: “Whatever you do, don’t get attached to me.” The heartbreak and harm some go through in these toxic relationships create a strong sensation of doubt for anything that could happen in the future. “You’re better off if you stay away from me.” Don’t let one catastrophic couple experience ruin relationships for you in the future. Trust me; it gets better.
“Your love has made me a martyr.” Sometimes, having an awful experience in one aspect of life is enough to make a cynic out of anyone. “Come Home” goes in tandem with “Stay Away;” the attempt to get back out there isn’t always successful right off the bat, and knowing that one person aided heavily in making you feel that way worsens the situation. Saosin-esque guitar riffs combine with vocals that would have Kurt Travis on his feet to create a sound that is original within the album itself. Verse two quiets down a skosh in order to enhance the solemn sound to pair with the idea of not being able to maintain the successful progress that “Stay Away” created for listeners. I personally loved the abrupt ending; the song title is the absolute final noise left in our heads, and that accomplishes just what I feel the band was trying to do.
We all dream of a worry-free life, where all of our struggles and concerns fade away whenever we want them to. “Dream Life” describes this sensation with spot-on accuracy. “Only seen with closed eyes” couldn’t have been said better. In these dream lives, we carry no burden, we possess no flaws, and we know exactly where we belong. This dream life is happily inhabited by the main character that “Precipice” introduced in “Afterimage,” and this character doesn’t want to wake from this perfect dream. Nobody is left alone in this dream life; nothing is uncertain or hurtful. The past is dead, and the lively nature of the dream life keeps the character’s mind at ease. No matter how peaceful these dreams seem, we must all remember that they ARE just dreams, and the real world will soon pull you back. It might be frightening at first, but being pulled back is only going to launch you in the direction of pure bliss and peace.
“Bliss” is a perfect conclusion to the record. Reminiscent feelings of retracing steps is all too real for those who have experienced any part of the story “Precipice” tells. Ignorance may seem like bliss, but it only lasts until the truth is told. Once our eyes are opened, we see and feel the pain, regret, and hurt once more. Following this discovery, however, we will soon realize that everything will be alright in the end. The quest for true happiness may seem to take an eternity, and the heartache and emotional agony felt along the journey could convince one to give up, but hear me out: Isn’t a lifetime of true happiness worth a small fraction of that time spent feeling hopelessly hurt and lost? WVNDER teaches that lesson over and over again throughout this entire record, and little is left to lust after with “Precipice.”
WVNDER creates beautiful music with soaring vocal harmonies, and lyrics that wouldn’t otherwise fit in any other musical experience. That’s the thing: this band IS NOT simply “any other band.” I have not heard something so uniquely brilliant in my entire life, and I cannot wait to see what they do next. You can check out their album, and maybe increase the band’s sales (they have some dope merch), here: https://wvnder.bandcamp.com
Until next time, friends.
Andrew
