In Your Speakers
If Devil Whale frontman Brinton Jones learned anything from writing the band’s 2008 album Like Paraders, it is that airing out personal issues and delving deep into the heart of dysfunctional relationships yield big returns. But the permanence of love, and the lack thereof, is unsustainable; and while a listening audience may receive momentary catharsis through emotional identification, playing those songs every night can be draining. Young Wives, on the other hand, roars out of the gates with something that is infinitely communicated: a general frustration and pointed angst towards the malaise of the American culture, political, and religious landscape. While not totally untethered from the romantic melancholy of Like Paraders, Young Wives represents a lunar step forward in Jones’ songwriting and the band’s newfound openness to experimentation and instrumentation, while remaining grounded in classic rock sensibilities. Repeated listens offer greater rewards than any of the band’s previous work.