Despite being a fan of swancore's founding fathers Dance Gavin Dance, I never really explored any of the more well-known swancore bands, especially those under Will's very own Blue Swan Records label. Sure, there was Eidola, but I'd argue that they're moving away from the swancore sound with their more recent releases. I finally decided to listen to one of them when, under bittersweet circumstances, discovered that Wolf & Bear was releasing the first single for their last album written with Tim Feerick, with Andrew Wells as a feature.
The first single didn't strike me well too heavily, but their second one absolutely did. QUICK SIP 84 had the perfect first impression: intriguing song title, instant funk, tasteful guitarwork and an earworm of a chorus. I immediately understood why they were such a standout in the swancore sound, they embodied the chaotic fun of it without sounding like a clone of Dance Gavin Dance.
The first verse is super tasty. It gets right into the funk, the chords are so colourful and the swancore licks are super fun too. I love his vocal style and how it strangely but completely fits. Guitar pedal effects on point as well, super familiar to the genre.
The chorus fucks hards, its definitely the highlight of the song. The cadence of the vocal melody transitioning into it is exquisite, and those three chords that follow the first line are sublime. It sounds like a hyperfunky version of what Dance Gavin Dance does, and the more soulful vocals are a bonus.
The harsh vocals are something that took a bit to grow on me, but I adore what the vocal tone and mix are doing for the sound of the band and the song, especially with how much it sounds like Jon's early screaming style. It does completely differentiate them from the current dual-vocal setup of Dance Gavin Dance, which is a plus especially when they're using some similar styles of vocal overlap and harmony work. I can't tell if he's emulating Jon's lyrical style though, I'm getting one or two peeks of that absurd and playful lyricism that reminds me of Jon, but the rest seem normally normal.
Simply put, it's got me hooked. This song was the turning point for me, to decide to listen to the album on release day. I wasn't sure before this if anyone could even come close to Dance Gavin Dance's reign on their very own swancore style, but it seems there's at least one band who's formidable enough in their own way to challenge the throne.
Rating: 4.5/5