Wild Nothing, the recording name of Virginia musician Jack Tatum, struck gold with his 2010 début, Gemini, which hit a triumphant chord with fans of dreamy indie pop, receiving high accolades from many publications. His upcoming album, Nocturne, is on the way later in the year, and the first single, “Shadow,” is now available for listening. The name itself comes across as rather misleading, as the track sounds less shadowy than you’d perhaps think; it’s a fast-paced, heart-felt song featuring graceful vocals and beautiful violin sections invoking a deeply thought-provoking atmosphere.
There’s a lot to recommend about this track for all music listeners: despite a short ambient intro, the song jumps straight in with its gliding guitars and thumping percussion, and Tatum’s vocals are accessible and soft, in that breathy, caressing sort of way often associated with dream pop. Verses are short and sweet, with plenty of periods of lyrical respite to make way for the delicate and tranquil melodies. The song doesn’t necessarily follow a typical song-structure in terms of how it flutters around, but it is undeniably a beautiful piece of work, and sentimental for all of the right reasons throughout its rather orchestrated musical palette.
For a one-man project, Wild Nothing has stepped up the game with “Shadow,” delivering a mystifying and tensely rewarding listen that sounds more accomplished with each play. By serving not only as the first track on the Nocturne LP, but also the first glimpse into the upcoming album, “Shadow” is everything that it needs to be in showing a talented individual making extraordinary indie pop. Despite lasting for over four minutes, it doesn’t for a second outstay its welcome: “Shadow” is a thoroughly digestible, highly produced and wonderfully written track.
Nocturne is due out August 28th on Captured Tracks.
