New York bad boys Wyldlife make down and dirty rock ‘n roll, a commodity in short supply these days. Imagine the swagger of The Ramones smeared with the blood of Iggy Pop–that’s Wyldlife. The band has a primeval rock sound that I thought was dead until I stumbled upon their 2013 album THE TIME HAS COME TO ROCK & ROLL. I’ll never forget that first listen, I thought somebody had slipped something into my drink. Or that I’d died and gone to world where rock hadn’t died/gone underground. What impressed me the most about THE TIME HAS COME TO ROCK & ROLL was that it didn’t feel like just another nostalgic rehash. Wyldlife don’t reheat classic rock and try to pass it off as their own thing, instead the band is a real contributor to the modern rock scene. Their songs are well written and infectious, their singer possesses a brash confidence that charms and disarms…in short, they’re the real deal.
“I never had no religion, believed in nothing at all, till I found that one thing bigger than God…and it’s called Rock ‘n’ Roll!!!”
So you can imagine why I was super-stoked when I found out this week that the band has just released two brand-spanking new songs: “(It’s Called) Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Rock Candy.” I sincerely hope that these songs are only the opening salvo of their next mind-blowing opus of awesomely sleazy rock. “(It’s Called) Rock ‘n’ Roll” is your classic tribute to good times and good tunes. The song is a musical manifesto extolling the virtues of rock music. It’s basically like The Ramones covering AC/DC. This is raise your lighter kind of music and I love it. “Rock Candy” is (shockingly) not about candy, but in fact a girl. This song has a super-sweet hook, this track straddles the line between rock and pop—again I love it. The quality of these songs is just as high as the bar the band set on their last album, which fills me with so much hope for the band’s next album. I highly recommend you check out both of these songs. Then go listen to the first two Wyldlife albums, because they are excellent.
Valid.
About a month ago I posted an article about another really great New York garage band, The Star Spangles. If you enjoyed The Star Spangles you owe it to yourself to check out Wyldlife. While not as punk-influenced as The Star Spangles, Wyldlife possess the same in-your-face brashness and youthful spirit that many bands today are sorely lacking. Plus, they can write one helluva a song…but don’t take my word for it.
Defending Axl Rose 