ALBUM REVIEW: Wisher – Ben Quad

It’s been an eventful few years for BEN QUAD. The Oklahoma four-piece earned deserved recognition for their 2022 debut I’m Scared That’s All There Is, an album filled with glistening Midwest emo alongside pop-punk energy and hooks. A left turn came with one-off single You’re Part Of It – a dabbling in screamo that unexpectedly became their biggest hit, and provided the blueprint for last year’s Ephemera EP. The stylistic switch raised the question – what direction would BEN QUAD take with their sophomore album, Wisher?

It’s a question they have plenty of fun answering. BEN QUAD self-describe as both emo and “butt rock”, though the latter, tongue-in-cheek as it may be, undersells their vitality. Wisher doesn’t discard the screamo elements of Ephemera entirely, but this is solidly a return to that energetic emo sound. The band describe this as their love letter to emo – it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

Opener What Fer? draws on the introspective side with a downbeat, soft intro – layers of guitar and soft singing from Sam Wegrzynski alongside some clanking banjo for texture. Yet in some ways, this is a head fake. Wisher doesn’t really get any slower than this, immediately following with the high-octane emo punk energy of single Painless. Alongside the recognisable slippery Midwest emo lead guitar work of Edgar Viveros, BEN QUAD deploy all the best tropes of the genre – vocal intensity ramp-ups in the verse that touch on those screamo textures, a hooky call-and-response chorus, and some easycore riffage to close.

In their irreverent style, BEN QUAD take on the genre pivot directly on Did You Decide To Skip Arts And Crafts?. A guest spot from Sam Canty of TREATY OAK REVIVAL knowingly lambasts the band via a voiceover for leaving their genre lane for a heavier sound. That track exemplifies their evolution, neatly integrating those heavier elements into a huge chorus. The production has taken a significant step up, both in polish and in the clever use of modern glitchy pitch-shift effects more associated with hyperpop.

Across its ten tracks, Wisher encompasses all flavours of (mostly high-energy) emo, broadly leaning on the formula of fiddly guitar work and simple yet devastatingly effective chorus vocal hooks. First single It’s Just A Title hits all the marks, particularly with a guitar run intro that will doubtless have legions of bedroom guitarists practising their tapping skills. Wegrzynski also shows off his vocal versatility, equally adept at powerful clean belting as at the softer vulnerability and screamo fry, ably backed by bassist and backing vocalist Henry Shields. It’s the high point of the album, with a warbling synth line joining the guitar work for a simply stunning solo / bridge.

Joining the band on this record are several guest spots from the US emo scene. In addition to the aforementioned Sam Canty cameo, Zayna Youssef of SWEET PILL appears on the propulsive You Wanted Us, You Got Us. Youssef finds herself a little under-utilised, sidelined in favour of some blisteringly fast drumming work from Isaac Young. Later, Nathan Hardy of MICROWAVE pops up on the dramatic West of West, leaning into a post-hardcore tinged sound with the heaviest screams of the record.

So much of Wisher is a wall of bright treble effects, an assault of a thousand glistening notes across multiple instruments. The intro of single Very Big In Sheboygen epitomises this, bringing in some synth lines alongside the uncountable guitar overlays. It’s another excellent song, only let down by the hackneyed simplicity of its chorus vocal line and lyrics, which undermine the clever double-time / half-time construction and a big singalong closer. Despite the plethora of hooks, Wisher as an album doesn’t quite find an irresistible earworm. But with one or two exceptions (see: the mostly anonymous All Your Luck), the consistency and musicianship cannot be ignored.

BEN QUAD are a fun band, and Wisher is a fun album: a sugary hit of irresistible emo energy, backed by some seriously intricate guitar work. The screamo of Ephemera has been effectively merged into their core emo sound – an expansion, not a pivot. And longtime fans of the genre will recognise this as a celebration and homage to emo. Albeit one keen to run at a hundred miles per hour, uninterested in gloomy introspection, and determined to make you smile.

Rating: 7/10

Wisher is set for release November 14th via Pure Noise Records.

Follow BEN QUAD on Instagram.