I
always have the same relationship with Snow
Patrol: they release a new album, I think ‘I’ve had enough of them, not
bothered’, finally listen to it anyway and then fall in love with it. Forget,
repeat. This process was particularly easy this time because it’s been a full 7
years since their last record, 2011’s Fallen
Empires. Plenty of time to forget how much I like them. My switch to using
a streaming service gave Wildness a
chance, because I was able to try without having to buy. Turns out it’s another
wonderful record. Why am I always surprised that Snow Patrol are good? Often lumped in with the likes of Coldplay (including by me), they
deserve better. The general critical wisdom is that Wildness is a triumphant return after the disappointing Fallen Empires and subsequent hiatus.
For me, Fallen Empires is perhaps
their best record (although, again, I had to go back to remind myself that I
liked it so much…), so I don’t quite subscribe to that narrative. Lyrically, Wildness doesn’t feel like a triumphant
return either: it isn’t about rebirth/rejuvenation or self-congratulation. The
key themes instead are darkness and self-doubt. Musically too, this isn’t a
bells and whistles bombastic return, it’s a very restrained record. The stark
voice-and-piano of ‘What If This is All the Love You Ever Get?’ opts not to
burst into strings and soaring harmonises in the way they may have done in the
past, and is all the better for it (especially given its melancholic lyrical
sentiment). The slow-build of album opener ‘Life on Earth’ is another
highlight, and another exercise in effective simplicity and restraint. Great
stuff all round. I just have to try to remember that I like them when they next
release something…
sample track: Life on Earth