What’s in a name? Ask Montreal electro-punk trio We Are Wolves and you might be surprised to learn how much importance can be placed on such a detail. Based solely on their name and home base, the band has suffered endless descriptions as “that other wolf band from Montreal.” This kind of dumbing down isn’t just lazy and predictable; it shows a lack of musical knowledge. We Are Wolves offer up a blistering post-punk sound that’s all their own and deserve to be judged on their own merits. With Fat Possum’s re-release of their debut, Non-Stop Je Te Plie En Deux (it was originally self-released by the band in the spring), We Are Wolves may finally get their due.
Fierce and urgent, Non-Stop is the sound of primal urges straining to be released. Savage guitar work combines with driving disco beats and frantically yelped lyrics to form an aggressive sonic pastiche that goes straight for the throat. Surprisingly, this violent sound doesn’t come at the expense of melody. Many of the tracks have a level of danceability to them.
Lyrically, the album is quite sparse. Four of the eleven tracks are instrumentals, the remaining songs using lyrics more as a vehicle to transmit emotion or add an extra layer to their sound than to express anything in particular. That’s probably for the best: The band’s sound isn’t conducive to introspection anyway.
If the album has a flaw, it would be its failure to fully capture the bands’ energy and charisma. The album, intense as it is, still can’t translate the onslaught the band puts on during a live set. It’s a minor complaint and one that will likely be mitigated as the band gains more studio experience. That aside, <i>Non-Stop Je Te Plie En Deux</i> is a solid debut by an exciting new band.
Discuss this review at the Prefix Message Board
Prefix feature: We Are Wolves [Sometimes it's (not) all in a name] by Justin Sheppard
We Are Wolves »
