Wrestling - Wolf Town - Tape (2012)

Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm

Wrestling to me is Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, and that dude with the mask on. Not that Yankee nonsense, though I recall having an Ultimate Warrior pencil tin even though we never had Sky and I knew very little about WWF. Anyway, here is a band called Wrestling, with their emo approach, a rough and tumble style that borrows liberally from Cap’n Jazz and Braid, but relies on scream / bellow vocals, which helps differentiate it from your common or garden Cap’n Jazz and Braid worshipping band in 2012. Wrestling are quite keen to yelp boyishly and deliver familiar chords in an endearingly lo-fi fashion. The dismal recording helps provide character and vitality. Outside of that, I was mostly enthralled with the extended emo-waltz on “œLord of the Rings Online”, in fact, maybe they even dragged this bit out a touch too long. Either way, as a whole hearted backer of songs that do this, I will not complain. I don’t even find the gang vocal parts that troublesome. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Not a bad little debut here, quite simple yet quite pleasing.