Album Review: ‘Infinitely Ordinary’ By The Wrecks

BY SKYE NIEVES

The first time I heard The Wrecks was during a concert in my hometown of Buffalo, NY while I was interning at After Dark Entertainment. As I was learning the basics of being a concert promoter, The Wrecks were embarking on their first headlining tour. With only three songs released, they rocked a sold-out show at one of the top venues in the city. After catching the end of their set, and hearing lead singer Nick Anderson belt out ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ by Jet, I knew that this was a band to watch. A few months later, they released Panic Vertigo, a five track EP that solidified their emo and pop-punk inspired alternative rock sound. After seeing them perform two times, there was no doubt that the album they had been actively promising was going to translate beautifully to the stage.

Finally, two years later, their debut album has arrived. With a runtime of 24 minutes, each of the eight tracks has their own vibe and are ever so melodically different from one another. Despite this, the album is a cohesive unit that exudes raw and sincere lyricism. Tackling love, heartbreak, depression, anxiety, and the escape of the dreadful monotony of your hometown, Infinitely Ordinary captures what it means to be a 20-something year-old in these times of swiping right and ‘Netflix and Chill’. 

The first single and first track, ‘Freaking Out’, combines the highs and lows of psychedelics with an explosive chorus. The definite beat and vocal layering of lead singer Nick Anderson’s falsetto instantly makes this a hard-hitting bop that’ll have you (to quote a lyric) dancing with the picture of Kayne West on the wall.

Track two, ‘Feels So Nice’, highlights the bands ability to transition from spoken-word verses to melodic choruses to intense moments of emotional vocal-instrument clashing. The combination of all these elements evokes the styles of Cake and Mania-era Fall Out Boy. While you’ll have to figure out your favourite song for yourself, Anderson wasted no time by admitting on an Instagram Live on May 1st that this is his favorite track. 

Out of Style, the album’s third track, is a dynamic rock song with simple verses that sound similar to Lil Dicky’s tone in ‘Pillow Talking (feat. Brain)’. Lighthearted lyrics blended with descending spiral-sounding guitar chords and a killer drum pattern make this tune an absolute banger.

Surpassing ‘Out of Style’ as the most amusing song on the album is ‘Fvck Somebody’. This track is just a joy to listen to, with its cheerful melody and its devasting yet fun message. The rawness and honesty of the lyrics unfortunately ~wreck~ this song’s chances at commercial airtime, though it would obviously rise to the top of the charts quicker than Nick Anderson brings up his Best Buy LED lights.

‘Four’ is the fourth song starting with the letter ‘F’ on the album but is, interestingly, track number five. This heart wrenching song shows the slower, more emotional side of the band with violin swelling in the background. The soft-yet-passionate vocals highlight the band’s ability to develop their sound further and prove that they are not a one-trick pony.  

The only song with a feature, ‘We All Get Lonely’, turns vocal gender norms upside down as Tomi sings with a low bass sounding voice, and Anderson hits high notes only ever attempted by the likes of Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie and Kurt Hummel on Glee. The song has a real dark-shadowy feel, not unlike Muse’s 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. 

Imagine that you combined Take Off Your Pants and Jacket-era blink-182 with Miley Cyrus’ ‘7 Things’ and Nick Jonas’ ‘Introducing Me’ from Camp Rock 2. That unique creation perfectly describes all that is ‘This Life I Have’. The band has been playing this song live for the past year, so it’s a familiar reward for fans. The seventh track on the album has no chorus and the only structure it holds is the melodic key changing from calm and steady to absolutely insane. For this reason, it is the best song on the album. I challenge you to listen to this song without moshing. Impossible. 

The final and title track, ‘Infinitely Ordinary’, is the perfect ending. Its calm demeanour and inspiring melody have you longing for your own infinitely ordinary moment. 

There is one problem with this album though. Its only 24 minutes long. Listening to it is like binging an entire season of a Netflix series as soon as it comes out only to find out you have to wait another two years for the next season. Here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait another two years for The Wrecks’ next album.