This week sees the release of “Afraid of Heights,” the fourth album from Wavves, the brainchild of San Diego’s Nathan Williams. The record, a lush collection of reference-heavy pop punk, is one of the better “rock” releases of the year so far. Williams has shown himself capable of writing compelling songs since emerging from his parent’s basement five years ago, but few could have anticipated the polished music he’s created this time around, with the aid of guitarist Stephen Pope and pop producer John Hill (who’s worked with Rihanna and M.I.A., among others). The music is universes away from the lo-fi rabble that first earned Williams attention and acclaim in 2008.
Williams’s debut, self-titled album was made up of scuzzy lo-fi noise rock – everything sounded warped and masked in layer after layer of fuzz. If the formless songs even had vocals, the odes to slackerdom seemed like they’d been recorded miles under the sea. For the follow up, “Wavvves,” released just months later, Williams hadn’t evolved much sonically, though he had learned to let his bratty voice free and didn’t shy away from melody, especially on the catchy “No Hope Kids” and “So Bored.” Again, he showed a penchant for writing songs about burnouts who suffered from malaise and drank or did drugs when they could drag themselves away from the television.
On Williams’s third record, “King of the Beach,” he made the shift from noise rock to straight up pop punk, joined, for the first time, by other musicians in the recording booth – Pope and drummer Billy Hayes. The album mined the same thematic material, but its sound turned off some of Williams’s earliest fans, who were attracted to the project’s abrasive aesthetic, which drew inspiration from Nirvana and Blink-182.
As drastic as the shift between his second and third albums was, it doesn’t compare to what’s happened between then and “Afraid of Heights.” Williams’s latest album shows him as a fully polished musician, in line with mid-’90s and early-’00s alternative bands – a touch of early Green Day and mid-career Weezer can be heard. His lyrics still deal with feelings of self-loathing and tales of the slacker life (would you expect anything different from someone whose merch table once carried a weed grinder?), but this time the songs show a professional touch long absent from his discography. From the opening notes, a mixture of bells and pianos, it’s clear that this album is not from Williams’s garage days. Tempos change, he sometimes sings, and the songs feel distinct from one another, showing a focus that was lacking in previous records. The album is not perfect, but it reflects a musician who has evolved and might even be a fixture on the indie rock scene for years to come – something few people, including Williams, probably ever expected. You can stay true to who you are, but everyone needs to grow up sometime.
Growing Up With Nathan Williams
Across his four albums, Nathan Williams has gone from a role model for noise obsessed basement musicians to one of the few people creating radio-ready rock you’ll actually want to pay attention to. Here’s how he got there:
“Wavves”
The messiest and least accessible of William’s records, his self-produced debut set the tone and expectation for the musician – a burnout who lived with his parents making surprisingly interesting music.
Representative Lyric:
“Called my dad, he's not at home, things were good, but times were slow, Called again and hang my head, why is it I hate my friends?” – “Side Yr On”
“Wavvves”
Though released just months after its predecessor, the record is a much more melodically satisfying follow up. The first record could be described as noise punk with trace amounts of pop, but this one showed that Williams could write a catchy song or two.
Representative Lyric:
“I'm getting high to pass the time, No reason why was my reply” – “California Goths”
“King of the Beach”
This was one of the first signs that Williams might be an artist worth paying attention to. The shift was jarring to some of his earliest converts, but it was an exciting if unexpected change of pace. At least it was clear that Williams could change.
Representative Lyric:
“I'm not supposed to be a kid, but I'm an idiot, I'd say I'm sorry, but it wouldn't mean shit”– “Idiot”
“Afraid of Heights”
Proof to all the haters that Williams belongs, and while he might be still come off as a brat, he's a brat with talent. The third distinct, and compelling, version of Wavves in just five years.
Representative Lyric:
“In the sky, it's never coming back, No hope and no future, We'll die the same loser” – “Demons to Lean On”