Album Review :
Least of These - Wolves

By in Reviews | 4 Comments

Label: Independent
Release Date: May 19, 2017

Tracklisting:

  1. Creo
  2. Overcast
  3. Paradox
  4. Winter
  5. Wolves
  6. Cadence

As an artist, it’s hard to find your creative identity when circumstances that inspire and incubate your work come and go constantly. One moment, you’re pursuing one influence; the next, you’re pulled a different direction entirely. Between member changes and switching up the songwriting process, the opening lines of Creo seems befitting of the band’s current situation – “I’m not sure who I am anymore.”

Wolves is the latest offering from Least of These and follows Mere Image (2015) and Change Will Come (2013). The band’s change and growth seems to be equal parts creative and necessity – but Wolves brings plenty of new elements to the table that makes it truly stand out from the rest of the band’s discography.

Creo starts with ambient guitars over sleighbells – which immediately reminds me of SONS’ Keep Quiet. The vocals turn to screams, but the music stays pretty calm. It’s a powerful juxtaposition that is present in plenty of my favorite albums. The song has plenty of groove, and tremolo picking adds another layer of emotion.

Creo blends seamlessly into Overcast, a personal favorite from the EP. Beyond the instrumental progression, the lyrics here are cutting: “Goodbye my friends, I’ve had such a good time. Thank you so much for distracting my mind. Love conquers fear, at least for tonight. Self-loathing’s here to put up a fight.” Again, there’s a presence of screaming vocals. I feel need to clarify the screams are used sparingly and strategically. The EP is more indie than post-hardcore, though I certainly appreciate both extremes.

Overcast, much like its predecessor, bleeds into the following track. In an interview, the band mentioned the influence of cinematics – and that’s present in the ambience, flow, and repeating lyrics concepts on the EP. I appreciate this level of attention to detail and it makes the EP that much more enjoyable.

Paradox exhibits many of the musical elements of the first two tracks, but it’s more in line with what you might expect from K Sèra or Kiven; there’s a theatrical, jazzy feel to it. Naturally, this means there’s a bit of tension in the melody structure. This is appropriately complemented by more screaming.

Winter feels like a mirror-image of Overcast, and some of the lyrics even resurface here. There’s a different kind of screaming used here – more like strained singing, if you will, that reminds me of Matty Mullins a bit. “What happened to grace? What happened to faith?”

The title track (and lead single) wastes no time bringing the heat, leading with a guitar line that would have been at home on My Epic’s Yet. Overlapping vocal lines form a the basis of a strong ending. In terms of guitarwork, this track is the real highlight.

The EP closes on Cadence, a lyrically-forward track that serves as a critique of wrongful divisions in the church. “What happened to grace? Could it be we’re wrong here? We are the wolves, we are the wolves.” Unlike many songs that tackle this subject, it comes from a place of humility by also acknowledging the problem is both external and internal. It’s coupled with amazing instrumentation and everything I’d hope for from a closing track.

Ultimately, Least of These has caught my interest again and released one of the best collections of songs I’ve heard this year. While I’ve had ambivalence to their previous releases, Wolves is a progressive powerhouse with ambient, theatrical, and post-hardcore elements that’s instrumentally-cohesive and lyrically-challenging. It’s equally parts thrilling and thought-provoking and leaves me eager for their next release.

For fans of: A Hope for Home, SONS, K Sèra, My Epic

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jordan
Guest
May 23, 2017 7:22 am

This EP is incredible. The last couple releases from these guys were alright, but they fell short of being anything special. I feel like they took a huge step with this new stuff. I’ve been playing these tracks on repeat since Friday.

Least of These
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Least of These
May 24, 2017 7:06 pm
Reply to  jordan

Jordan!

Thank you. We are super excited for this EP. Glad you’re diggin it!

Kavin
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Kavin
September 19, 2017 1:22 pm

This group has a gifted approach. The music could keep my attention by itself but the lyrics are impactful in a way that keeps resonating after I’ve turned the music off.

Keith
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Keith
June 2, 2017 4:16 pm

Gonna have to buy this when I get a chance next week. I finally found the merch store to get a physical CD like I wanted, figure I’ll pick up Mere Image as well. I just wish they still had Change Will Come on a CD to order too, but it seems only vinyl’s available. Oh, well, still loving the digital copy of that album, it’s awesome!

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