Album Review: Clouded by This Wild Life

'Clouded' is released this week through Epitaph. Come read our thoughts... Cali two-piece This Wild Life tried the whole punk rock thing for years upon years, before unplugging their guitars and deciding to open up in a different way to shouting at nobody in crowded basements. The result is debut full-length ‘Clouded’, a charming acoustic record overflowing with vulnerability and feeling, as epitomised on standout ‘History’.

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With influences and roots in screamo, hardcore, and punk, Long Beach duo This Wild Life were originally conceived as a pop-punk band in the classic SoCal mode. Members Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grosso took their crack at playing explosive, amped-up gigs and even issued an initial EP in that style before doing an about-face and slimming down to the succinct acoustic format heard here on their Epitaph debut, Clouded. It was through the revelation of hearing Dashboard Confessional's Swiss Army Romance that the two decided they could achieve the same amount of passion and drive as before, but delivered instead with two guitars and tight harmonies.

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What started as a pop-punk band has blossomed into a whole other beast—or a whole other delicate flower, anyway. California duo This Wild Life have been creating a bit of online buzz with their acoustic tunes, and now with the backing of Epitaph, this debut full-length is only going to get more people talking, and for very good reason. These are outrageously well-written songs, played and sung with much skill and arranged in a way that goes beyond the standard two-guys-doing-acoustic thing: With extra instrumentation and flourishes all over the place, this never gets dull.

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