Wavves’ recent meteoric rise (at least in the indie-rock realm) brings to mind several questions on the nature of circa now music criticism. The cycle of hype and subsequent backlash seems to operate just as quickly as Wavves singer-guitarist Nathan Williams can write songs (two self-titled albums and a seven-inch in the last six months), and he’s already being described as “overrated.” However, should these supremely silly web 2.0 notions be taken seriously when the songs are this catchy? Remember when you simply enjoyed something or didn’t, regardless of who was hyping it?
Williams is a 22-year-old Californian kid jamming out about skateboarding, goths and weed, not U2, Angels & Airwaves or some other chunder head trying to change the world. With his lo-fi production, Williams could easily be lumped in with scrappy, lo-fi “shitgaze” bands like Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit, but his hooks have more in common with Blue Album-era Weezer or New Wavers Elton Motello. If you can’t enjoy tunes like “No Hope Kids” or “So Bored,” that’s a serious bummer in the summer.
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