SURVIVAL IS THE FITTEST TRIBUTE
Ryan Garner says Wares finds ways to exemplify struggle
Wares Survival ★ ★ ★ out of 5
Survival is a loaded word these days, applying to multiple facets of our daily lives and the larger world around us during the COVID -19 pandemic.
It’s also a fitting title for Wares’ latest album, released April 24 by Mint Records. The 10-song escapade through indie rock and sonic pop details singer Cassia Hardy’s struggle to stay alive and establish a brighter future.
In fact, the album is dedicated to all those facing nearly overwhelming obstacles, specifically “decolonial activists, anti-fascist agitators, and prairie queers fighting for community and a better life.”
Backed by bassist Matthew Gooding, Jamie Mclean on keys and drummer Holly Greaves, Hardy recounts an assault in hushed, desperate tones on opener Hands, Skin before the song blows open, skittering on the edge of punk. However, the foray into fast and furious ends far too soon and the album never regains its sense of urgency.
Tall Girl pulls back into a dreamy head-bobber that strips away the angst, drowning Hardy in waves of unceasing sound.
Its keystone line “I regret not getting to know you better” is the closest Hardy gets to surfacing above the swirling guitars, leaving the listener aching for some crunch amid the pop or a clearly sung sentiment that pushes through the soundscape.
Living Proof maintains the same low-key, muted pop vibe before Tether pushes further from the album’s initial rocksoaked riches. Both tunes are sonically pleasing, to be sure, but not satisfying enough to warrant repeated listens.
Hardy’s personal journey peaks on album standouts Surrender Into Waiting Arms and Jenny Says. Uptempo jangling builds to an epic breakdown on Surrender, leaving Hardy languishing in a fight for acceptance.
And the singer finally breaks through the waves on the acoustic guitar-driven Jenny Says, pushing her head through the surface long enough to sing the unaccompanied lament “Why’s it hurt so much to get out of bed sometimes? Why do people scare me so much I never go outside?”
It’s the album’s most powerful moment and one worth returning to, reinforcing the singer’s Survival mission statement:
“The songs on this album are really personal to my journey. The worlds inside it are about carving out an identity and learning acceptance so you can join a community for a better world. Finding people and opening your heart to companionship, love, and vulnerability is the real deal. I just want to reach people wherever I can.”
From there, the album downshifts into breezy sentiments punctuated by angry snarls on Complete Control and Violence. However, neither song presents anything new.
The album winds down by ramping up with the rock-injected Surface World. Hardy’s voice swerves and sways against the sound in one of Survival’s most interesting offerings.
The title track closes things out by building on its predecessor with another dose of rock, featuring some of Hardy’s most passionate vocals before suddenly closing things out. Ultimately, the final impression teases us with some jagged edges and urgency but offers too little, too late.
You may have seen Wares open for Ezra Furman at the Freemasons’ Hall during January’s Winterruption Festival. While Survival contains echoes of the latter’s angst-fuelled sound, it doesn’t match the intensity, failing to rattle picture frames during its heaviest moments the way Trauma does or induce the same tongue-in-cheek intimacy of I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend.
The pop leaves us wishing for more of the punch found on the opening and closing tracks, along with additional doses of Hardy’s throat-clearing sentiment without being bogged down by the sound. In that sense, Wares doesn’t achieve salvation with its latest release, but merely survival.