INTRODUCING: Wildernesses
Sometimes a band enters the musical orbit and transcends the concept of casually being shoehorned into a convenient genre stereotype. Weaving together atmospheric, post-rock, shoegaze, and a whole host of other stylings, London’s WILDERNESSES have blossomed from beneath the cracks in the weathered British pavements to bring forth messages submerged in emotive narratives and cathartic melodies. Their union was less than conventional, with the initial instigator opting to depart just as the band was beginning to get the wheels turning. After his previous band Late Night Fiction opted to go their separate ways, frontman Phillip Morris was collecting an inventory of ideas in his home studio until a message would find its way into his inbox.
“I’ve been living in Hertfordshire for about six years and I got a random message on Instagram from a guy called JB who is originally from Hull where I’m from. I didn’t really know him, we’d crossed paths a couple of times and he was looking for someone to join a band he was putting together. We had a couple of jams and we shared a lot of common tastes and it just felt good instantly. I was really surprised, as I’m usually a real pessimist. From there we started to take it seriously without really agreeing to take it seriously! We set quite clear boundaries early on as to what style we wanted to play as it’s quite easy to just get together with a bunch of lads and start throwing riffs out there. We wanted to adopt a post-rock sound with a bit of an adult, mature lens. It’s been a bit of a journey so far.”
Rather than rush headfirst into this exciting new venture, the band opted to meticulously refine their material, making adjustments until they felt every detail was of the highest possible standard. This also involved the switching of roles within the collective. “We’d been writing for about 18 months because I’m a perfectionist. I’m nearly 40 so my thought process was if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right,” explains Phillip. “Let’s get the best material we have recorded with someone we trust and get a label to come aboard, which we also somehow achieved. We thought this would be a much better approach than playing loads of gigs, knackering ourselves out and not moving in the right direction. We found from a very early stage that we were all on the same page on what we wanted to accomplish and we have quite a loose vibe where we all bring ideas to the table and they’re happy for me to go and refine things in the studio. For this project I really wanted to focus on capturing a more brooding, atmospheric vibe in the delivery which would allow me to lean into the low register as well as the high. Kind of like ethereal meets a lazy, laidback kind of vibe which would allow us to harmonise with melodies.”
There is a strong DIY ethic which runs through the core DNA of WILDERNESSES and this mindset is firmly etched into every facet of their freshly released debut album Growth. “We flip-flopped between a few titles and were thinking whether we should use a song name or something a bit more abstract. I’d taken a photo and laid up the artwork about a year ago which is basically my bathroom with all the plants I own shoved into it and it created this nice, textured image but we couldn’t settle on the title. The first criteria was that it has to be sharp and concise with our band name being four syllables!” Jokes Phillip. “We landed on Growth which we felt links to nature, the growing vines, the roots, dirt etc but it also felt fitting as it captures what we’ve experienced together as a group of people. We’ve spent more time together than we’ve spent time with our families and this last couple of years we’ve developed this project into something that we’re all really proud of.”
One particular element of their output that strikes a chord with the listener is that it possesses a distinct vulnerability, discussing personal topics which many will be able to relate to and resonate with. Phillip uses WILDERNESSES as a means of channelling his experiences within his day to day life as a mental health professional.
“My responsibilities are to assess people under the mental health act and UK law legislation and make a decision alongside psychiatrists to determine whether that person would benefit from admission or being sectioned. It’s pretty gnarly and the system is horrendous. There is a lack of resources across the country and you feel the pressures to actually not admit people so it provides a lot of conflicting feelings. The song English Darkness is an adaptation of a really emotional assessment that I had with this person who literally said ‘whatever you do, there is no hope for me’ and it was a horrible feeling to know someone has had such an awful life that they feel like there is no light anywhere. The story of that song was about the observation that a lot of people use poor coping strategies such as drink or drugs, not leaving the house and that happens in a lot of stages of life whether they’re dealing with loss or a break-up. It makes you reflect on your own life and realise sometimes you’re bad at taking your own advice. I’ve been guilty of doing the same myself and I wanted to use that parallel to show that even medical professionals endure their own struggles and they are making decisions which could affect another human beings life.”
Whilst WILDERNESSES are still very much in that daunting period of infancy, they have already begun to garner attention. Having plied their trade on the live circuit prior to the album release this has allowed them to catch the eye of promoters and perform at events such as AKARI Festival in Manchester and the Celestial Diadem weekender alongside rising artists DIN OF CELESTIAL BIRDS and DIMSCÛA. Their biggest opportunity lies just over the horizon, as part of this year’s ArcTanGent lineup. “Three out of four of us already had VIP tickets before we got announced!” Chuckles Phillip. “We love the festival, it has such an open, welcoming vibe and we can’t wait to play there!”
Growth is out now via Floodlit Recordings. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS129 here.
For more information on WILDERNESSES like their official page on Facebook.