Bands get together, split apart, go solo and start new projects. It’s often an unavoidable reality that can bring a promising career to an end in the music industry or, as in the case of Mt. Wolf, bring new talent and flavor to fruition. After losing their lead singer Kate Sproule, fans of the band might have worried that they had seen the last of London’s Mt. Wolf, luckily, the band emerged a year later with “Red” which demonstrated the band’s resilience and determination to keep going.
“Red” changes the band’s vocal style, opting for the sweet and distantly inward fading drifts of Bassi Fox. With the long awaited and fresh release of their first EP Red, Mt. Wolf is filling out their sound from all angles. From “Red” the album moves to “Hamburg” which also highlights the voice of Bassi. The track builds subtly, creating anticipation for a multi-layered electronic and acoustic ambiance that softly blends in hushed, instrument-like vocals. For the third track, “VIII”, Alexa Harley lends her stunning vocals, which seamlessly fit in to the band’s sound without getting lost or over powered. Alexa’s talent of using strength when needed or just softly playing into the feel of the song when required makes her a perfect fit for the mellow and ambient tone. Red finishes on “Burgs”, setting the tone of finality. It features soft and soothing elements intermittent with an aged recorded component while the piano adds a quiet, cohesive aspect.
Red proves that with key elements remaining a band can not only make a come back but create new versatility through adversity while staying true to their sound. It’s created a new basis for fans to wait in expectation of more to come.
