Ruthless
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
The debut album from the Eau Claire outfit Waldemar, the singer-songwriter Gabe Larson spearheads the listen, where the heartland indie-rock comes with lush guitars and inviting synth moments across the authentic 11 tracks.
“Limbo” opens the listen with an ethereal atmosphere that showcases crisp drums and expressive singing in a hazy version of indie-rock, and “Ruthless” follows with a cautious spirit that benefits from dreamy guitar amid the eloquent singing.
“Prophet” and “Ultimatum” occupy the middle spot, where the former carries a bit of psychedelia via the buzzing synth, while the latter is quite intimate and builds into a tense versus pretty album highlight that uses thumping drums and elegant strings.
Close to the end, the acoustic guitar fueled “Waldemar” emits a stirring, bare folk presence, and “Trust” exits with a sublime demeanor amid the soundbites that leads into 11+ minutes of radiant songwriting that uses piano strategically and doesn’t shy away from busier, loud moments, too
Larson is joined by Nick Larson, Josh Garcia, John Roemhild, Colin Carey, Jordan Coffland, Ben Lester, Noah Reedy, Kayla Garcia, Sarah Olson and Tyler Henderson for a first album that took 5 years to make, and it’s an excellent starting position.
Travels well with: Them Coulee Boys- Die Happy; Louise Burns- Element