Last of the Wonder Kids have captured the energy, pop sensibilities, fuzz induced riffs, and youthful tenacity of the early 2000s with a heavy degree of success with their new single Animals

In the early 2000s, The Strokes kickstarted a post-punk/garage rock revival resulting in the surge of popularity and mass signing of bands such The Hives, The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, The Walkmen and The Arctic Monkeys (the list is way too long to mention in this review). Last of the Wonder Kids have captured the energy, pop sensibilities, fuzz induced riffs, and youthful tenacity of that era with a heavy degree of success with their new single Animals.

Animals is a coming of age track, almost. Referencing a lover hearing about "The violence, the arrests and the chemicals" of the protagonist's youth. With the protagonist's response claiming although they "Don't do that now", it has "Shaped them into who" [they are]. Although, still admitting they are a little rougher and animalistic than what his lover is used too, and that is indeed what the lover likes about them. This all comes to fruition in the glorious spoken-word breakdown "You’ve been waiting for someone who can give you up/someone a little rougher than before/someone who can dress up and your mum can adore". Lyrically, it paints it a pretty cohesive story in the format of a song with such strong pop-sensibilities, and although not emotionally resonant, I would claim it doesn't need to be when its such a powerhouse of a high energy single.

With a hint of a high pass filter effect slapped on Ash's confident and charming vocal delivery, it gives the impression that the song is more lo-fi and fuzzier than it actually is while furthermore, not detracting from the sonic quality of the track itself. As a band who only have three members, the mix feels plenty full to the brim, almost on the point on claustrophobic (but not quite), and very thick indeed. I can't quite decipher what the bass is doing on the track, it's presence mostly there as an aid to weighting down the fuzz driven guitar. This is fine, although it might have been nice to hear Lorna bring some delicious low-end grooves and melodic minor licks to the table as it feels very root oriented. This being said, Lorna delivers some tasty vocal accompaniment to Ash and it really peppers the song with colour. On the rhythm end of the spectrum, I really wish Alexander could've spiced up the beyond the simple 4/4 beat he presents in the first half of the track. Although giving a solid foundation, he delivers more of the game I've seen him deliver before in the latter half of the track - as things get a little more chaotic. This is only a tiny criticism, however, and it doesn't detract from the track at all, it would just be a nice bit of decoration and flavour.

Last of the Wonder Kids has once again proved to me that they are one of the most exciting bands on Hull's alternative/indie circuit, albeit as an honorary member (as they are from Grimsby, not Hull). They've been welcomed with open arms by the venues in Hull, so if you haven't done so already, add them to your playlists, I certainly have.

4.5/5 - Very strong single, I hope they play around with dynamics and complimentary basslines more in the future.

For fans of: The Avenues, Low Hummer, Girl Afraid, and the post-punk/garage revival scene from the 2000s.

Check out the music video here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz1W9aGWmHc

Check them out on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/1BRo2Wn797twofe8fUU2f4

Check them out on Soundcloud - https://www.soundcloud.com/lastofthewonderkids/animals

Check them out on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Lastofthewonderkids/

• Written by Joshua Ingham (04/05/2020)