by Mely Duong
Wildcat! Wildcat! was a spur of the moment idea amongst friends two years ago with Jesse Carmichael on drums, Michael Wilson on keys, and Jesse Taylor on bass, with all of them singing. The name of the band was also a spur of the moment title that stuck.
“Our friend makes summer mixtapes and heard a very early version of the first song we ever made and wanted to use it but needed to list it as something,” explains Carmichael. “We hadn’t formally decided to “start a band” yet so we threw out Wildcat! Wildcat! in reference to a scene in The Royal Tenenbaums (one of our faves). The band came about from us just messing around with a couple songs together and deciding to play a show just for fun. Turns out, people were into it so we kept it going.”
The positive response from fans led to the band’s greater aspirations as well as their evolution in sound. When they initially started, they were creating everything on the computers and had limited gear, but they shifted their sound to a bigger yet more live feeling that allowed them to be more intimate with the audience.
“We still love the minimal/programmed stuff but it’s blended with more power and intention than when we started. We are more confident with our vocals now too so we try not to bury them under layers and reverb as much as we used to,” says Wilson.
They’ve also improved in songwriting and communication which you may note in their newly released album. Although they take their music a lot more seriously now, they still remember the fundamental value that they are friends bonding over music.
Listening to this group and trying to classify them into one genre is no easy feat either. Everyone has a different auditory perspective and this band blurs the lines a bit too often for there to be a distinct demarcation. Wildcat! Wildcat! serves up great hooks and beats to a dark, beautiful atmosphere that are intriguing, dynamic, and emotional. It’s what motivates them to create music and is what fans respond to the most when they hear this group. You may think it’s indie rock but there are splashes of electronic grove and some raw energy derived from the R&B and pop genre too.
“Sometimes we don’t even know what our music is, but it feels good making it, so that’s got to count for something right?” Indeed it does. Their chemistry and trust on each other is what enhances their sound and the way they play. Although they hold a single unit mentality, their individual dynamic ranges bring out fresh structures and beats.
On August 5th, they released their debut LP, No Moon at All. “‘No Moon At All’ is actually an old jazz standard, and was covered by a dear friend of ours who passed away,” says Wilson. “When brainstorming album titles, the one we chose resonated the loudest within us.”
There was no intended message or theme, though a listener can hear the lingering flow from one song to the next in its continuity of thought. Wildcat! Wildcat! has received much positive feedback from a variety of listeners, which goes to show how universal their music is.
As for the band describing the sound themselves, Carmichael says it’s tricky. “Everyone who listens to it walks away with a different impression of “our sound” and we like that…we like beats, vocal hooks, dark, beautiful atmospheres…so that usually all comes out in our music.”
Triumphant, uplifting, melancholic, and nostalgic are just some conflicting words that fans have used to describe the music.
“We’re just happy to have had the opportunity to make the music which expresses who we are, and finally get it out to the people who have been waiting a long time to hear it,” says Wilson. He suggests “Circuit Breaker” as the song of choice off the new LP to give to a random person for a listen. It strays from their more typical falsettos and dreamy synths and ventures into a more “fire breathing beast mode, fun jungle jam.”
During the course of the creative process, they inevitably second guessed a few things, but overall now they are extremely proud of their accomplishment.
Currently the band is on tour and will be until December so keep a lookout for a concert date near you. Philly fans can catch them tonight at Boot and Saddle. They’re hustling to reach a wider audience during this tour and hope to continue to push themselves as artists.
