Strange Wilds
Subjective Concepts
Sub Pop
Nasty, brutish, and relentlessly thrilling, the Olympia, Washington, trio Strange Wilds grinds up abrasive rock’n’roll ingredients and spews ’em out as one glorious wave of disruptive noise. These raucous youngsters have thoroughly schooled themselves on early punk, thrash metal and grunge (with a big debt to Nirvana’s pre-Nevermind vibe), but Subjective Concepts sizzles like a brand-new inspiration. And for all the bruising chords, crashing drums, and wounded-beast vocals, it’s not hard to find some solid songs amidst the storm. “Starved For” echoes Chris Bailey’s Saints, while “Oneirophobe” finds singer-guitarist Steven (no last names used here) growling, “I feel fine, I feel okay/Just so scared of the everyday” as he tries to make sense of it all.