Wetlands 12″

Wetlands is an EP that improves as it goes. There’s no question that “Wetlands,” the A1, uses ambitious materials—most obviously a nagging chime lead—but it’s a track that seems poised to arrive somewhere interesting but never quite makes it. “Clairvoyant” doesn’t necessarily make significant changes to its arrangement either, but the hopeful, spiralling synth line at its centre is enough to shape an emotional eight minutes. The B-side continues in this vein, but the more upfront rhythms and drums really make things pop. This is especially true on “Gravel,” its killer breakdown showing how powerfully the drums match with the light-drenched melodies. It’s slightly less dramatic but the breakdown on “Whole Wide Worlds” also works a treat, as do the strange found sounds in the background, a vocal sample whose destiny seems intertwined with the shuddering drums.