Florida-based Wind Words first made it into the public eye due to his connection to Mark Nicks of Cool Hand Luke fame. And while a couple auxiliary releases have surfaced over the years (including a spoken word project on the minor prophets), this split album is the first full-instrumentation effort we’ve seen from Wind Words since his debut LP in 2017.
Joining Wind Words is Yearling, an emo/post-rock project from West Virginia.
The three Wind Words tracks were recorded by Brandon Shattuck at Parafonic Studio. You may remember Brandon from Polyvalent or Cora, and both he and Mark Nicks lend their talents on these songs. It’s admittedly different than CHL, but there’s the same kind of dynamic and thoughtful presence you’d expect. These songs manage to interject everything from “Come Thou Fount” lyrics to giant post-rock crescendos to amazing effect. “Matthew” in particular is an emotional effort, ending with these lyrics:
We are born to overcome
We are born to overcome
We are more than conquerors
In the spotless risen Son
The risen Son
Though I may not yet understand
The breadth of days that I have left
I know you see the other side
And you beg me to press ahead
Yearling’s half is heavier, playing with melodic hardcore and wall-of-sound guitars. There’s a good mix of melodic bits and clean singing as well, giving a glimpse into the band’s full dynamic.
The closing track is a joint effort between both projects, truly capturing the collaborative effort at play. It feels a bit like Listener or Hotel Books at times. There’s even plenty of passion you’d expect from Levi the Poet, all while sung refrains underlay the spoken word parts. There’s a lot going on dynamically as the track continues to reshape and press forward with new conviction
Ultimately, it’s a solid release that feels more like a teaser for what each artist can do. It’s obvious there’s a lot of skill here at play, and we can only hope for new full lengths from Wind Words and Yearling soon.
