Album Review: Hideaway by Wavves

Nathan Williams probably doesn't get enough credit for his songwriting savvy. He pigeonholed Wavves early on with slacker punk anthems with titles like "So Bored" and "Idiot" -- but he has also showed a talent for giddy Animal Collective impersonations, Beach Boys harmonies, weirdo circus ditties, and beat-driven side-projects. That chameleonic talent for different styles comes to the fore on Hideaway, which at least somewhat tones down the pop-punk crunch of recent albums You're Welcome and V.

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It's been a long time since indie rock produced a lightning rod like Nathan Williams. Although the Wavves frontman has mellowed out since his breakout year in 2009, when the music press eagerly documented every canceled show, on-stage meltdown, and verbal or physical altercation, he remains a uniquely contentious figure, whether he's baiting Trump supporters or burning bridges with Warner after a stint on the label that was almost preordained to end poorly. Most recently he outed himself as a landlord, giving his detractors a new tag to taunt him with.

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Having "written from a place of restlessness and hopelessness," it was created in Williams' parent's shed in his hometown of San Diego, California. Pulling in influences from Johnny Cash and honky tonk, Williams delivers his anxiety ridden prose through beachy guitar, layered vocals and some hooks comparable to Wavves early material like King of the Beach. At nine songs, the record rounds out with Wavves catalog of gritty, surf rock roots with all albums clocking in at under 45 minutes.

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