Vancouver's Wake Owl became one of my new favorite acts when I heard their breakout EP Wild Country last year. This crush was confirmed when I bore witness to frontman Colyn Cameron rocking out with a violin in his bare feet at Bonnaroo this past summer. I knew that they'd be around awhile, but didn't really have proof until now.
Come March 4, we’ll be privy to their debut full-length album, The Private World of Paradise (via Vagrant Records) that features first single “Candy” – a song that signifies an evolvement in the band’s musical direction and swings the categorization door wide open, inviting other genres like dream pop or psych rock to waltz right on in.
“Candy” is a trancey track that sounds like it came straight out of the seventies and lends itself nicely to the imaginative world of remixes. The Teardrops version intensifies the rhythm with bold beats, adding hip hop vibes to the ethereal vocals and synth that explore some Tame Impala territory. And just when we think we've got this song figured out, the lyrics at 2:20 sound like they were recorded in an underground tunnel and/or could be a hook to a rap song.
The track is borderline trippy, and the singsong line “Oh it’s a Candy World” reminds me of Willy Wonka’s “World of Imagination” – saccharinely sweet to the point of enigmatically spooky. Didn’t see me going there, did you? Well I didn’t see these guys going here. I originally pegged them as acoustic folksters. But hey, I love being proven wrong if this is what it sounds like.
March 4 is a ways away, but you can pre-order the album here. And hopefully there will be many more “Candy” copycat remixes in Teardrops' wake so we can continue to get our sugar fix in the meantime.
