How far will you go to get back a prized possession from an ex? This is a theme examined in DC folk band Wylder‘s new music video for “Bitter.”
How far will you go to get back a prized possession from an ex? This is a theme examined in DC folk band Wylder‘s new music video for “Bitter.”
It’s a fun and silly look at post-breakup obsession, documentation the lengths one man will go to reclaim a favorite sweater from an ex-girlfriend and her cowardly new partner. It’s an endearing video anyone can enjoy and laugh at, and one that stands as a nice contrast to Wylder’s brand of insightful folk music that blends candid melodies with ornate arrangements.
“I have this great vision for what I want to do with the music,” frontman Will McCarry explained, “but there’s also this very silly side that comes out when we all get together to play. It just comes from this joy in the act of being there and playing that comes out. Seeing the live show just puts this type of silly humor in context a bit more with our music. It may seem at odds with the lyrical content, but I think it works on some level.”
“Bitter” is the lead single to Wylder’s debut record, Rain And Laura released this past April. It continues the album narrative of learning to let go after a breakup and here, the singer laments the loss of his favorite sweater to his ex-girlfriend. “There is a sweater in real life,” McCarry laughed, “but it’s less about that and more about the process of moving on. In the video, of course, I get the sweater back, but the lyrics in the song are more focused on moving on from that lost piece of clothing.”
The shrewdly designed video was shot in two days under the astute direction of Sam Rodgers, who also plays mandolin in the band. “He’s a real talent in terms of filmography,” McCarry stated. “He’s just starting to get his feet wet, but he’s got such an eye for exactly what we want to do. I’ve known him since the sixth grade and we get together and giggle about these various silly music videos and it’s just a ton of fun and clearly comes out in the video.”
A music video as fun as “Bitter” is definitely a great way to introduce your music to a wide audience and that’s just what Wylder hopes to do here, but as humorous and noticeable as the video is, it almost seems unnecessary once you listen to the music on their new record. The robust chamber folk sounds on Rain And Laura are as delightful as they are appealing with an ambitious charm that really allows the methodical arrangements to wash over you. For a band working without the amenities offered to major label acts, these arrangement definitely stand out as a noteworthy element to Wylder’s debut.
“There’s so much stuff on the record that we lose track of what all is there pretty often,” McCarry jokes. “It’s funny my songwriting on some level is minimalist, but then we get into the studio and have all of these ideas and it’s just become this maximalist effort which I love. So much time has been spent arguing and discussing how we are going to do what we did on the record, but I love being able to add all of the layers of the horns and strings.”
As attractive as grand arrangements can be, McCarry does admit that there is some challenges the band faces when taking the music on the road. While a challenge though, this obstacle does allow the band to stretch their creative minds on how to approach different songs and sections, something that can change from show to show. “Normally what we do is the guitar and violin pick up a lot of the lines,” offers McCarry. “They’re doing what the instruments we can’t have are doing, and I think it’s very interesting. We really like to play with different sounds and we’re constantly revisiting things. New ideas come to us so while the structure is close to the record in concert, we’re throwing in different arrangements for everything.” Still, McCarry does admit that he’d love to attempt the full sonic intentions of Rain And Laura in concert one day. “At some point, I’d love to put together a show with a sound guy who really knows what he’s doing and bring in like eleven or twelve musicians to do the whole thing justice. It’d be a lot, but it’d be so fun/”
The music of Wylder exists in many forms this way. Sometimes a song like “Strange Weather” is just performed by vocals, guitar, bass, and mandolin at one show, but the next day, it could come to life from a double, maybe even triple the people depending on what band members are available and what associate members are utilized. Not knowing what Wylder will sound like once concert to another is intriguing for fans, but potentially nerve-wracking for the band. Still, the band can’t seem to escape the habit of piling instrument after instrument onto a song.
“I’m just super into arrangements,” McCarry reasons. “That’s really my bread and butter and where I thrive the most. I love writing the structure of the song and writing lyrics. The vocal melody is always what comes out first, but once I have that down, I’ll start doing the work with piling things on top of the song, usually to a positive effect I think. I actually arrange on piano even though I play guitar mostly. There’s something about knowing less about an instrument that urges creativity. Sometimes those chord inversions if I’m picking through them will create new avenues for new arrangements and then the song starts to come together. The kind of sound I wanted to craft is this organic, indie folk thing that is of course rooted in basic songwriting, but has more of an orchestral, thematic element as well.”
In addition to these grand compositions, Wylder’s music is also rooted in connected narration, one that approaches “concept album,” but finds its home in a cognizance awareness of an album theme and cohesion. “I think about songs in the contexts of albums,” McCarry remarks. “I have a tremendous amount of trouble writing a single song and then saying it’s done and then moving on. It’s important to me that there’s a narrative thread there, however loose it may occasionally be. It’s an important element of putting together a record for me. It needs to thematically resonate throughout and the record Rain And Laura was about letting go of a relationship and the thoughts and feelings that come about in that process.”
Rain And Laura marks the end of a long journey for Wylder, who actually has its roots years before as Save The Arcadian, a Fredericksburg band McCarry started in college that had amassed a loyal following due to their endearing live shows and impeccable melodies. But as the band moved from being a college band to an actual goal, the band needed some changes to fit their growing talent. “Save The Arcadian was great,” McCarry remembered, “but as we stepped into the DC music scene fully and immersed ourselves in becoming a touring act with a full length record, it was time for a change and the time was right to reintroduce ourselves to the music community.” The band hasn’t all but forgotten Save The Arcadian though. Not only did the band give Wylder its supportive fanbase, but it also yielded songs like “Bayhouse” and “Sunstroke” off of Rain And Laura.
The move to DC was a smooth transition for Wylder, even though the band’s sound was outside of what the nation’s capital music scene is known for. The band admits keeping up with their contemporaries is difficult due to how overlooked folk can be in the city and by how often bands move in and out. But despite this obstacle, the band still found success in the town by taking the opportunities in front of them and overachieving every time. “We have been blessed to be doing something a bit different than most of the bands in DC,” McCarry remarked. “When these touring acts come through, we get the chance to open because the venues know us, our sound, and our draw. We’ve gotten to the point where we have our niche in DC, but it is still a battle to get noticed against other acts and scenes getting noise.”
After finding that niche in DC though, Wylder has its sights set on extending their reach, both in person and musically. After years of no real output from the band, McCarry admits they don’t want their fanbase to ever experience that type of musical lull again. “The focus now is on creating more content for the people who love our music,” declares McCarry. “Those fans waited a long time, especially the Save The Arcadian fans, for Rain And Laura. We worked with a producer who slowed things down over and over and we waited for over two years to have it done, so we want to give more to the people who are invested in the project and enjoy the music. The idea is to really buckle down and create something we’re really proud of and get the right people on board. We’re doing some more poppy songs this fall before we dive into our next record which we want to take to a darker kind of place. That’s the trajectory for us right now.”
Before the band hunkers down on their new songs, they’ll come to Richmond this Saturday for the East Grace Street House Concert Series where they’ll play a full set before an intimate crowd they’ve come to appreciate in town. “This is one of our favorite places to play in Richmond,” McCarry gushes. “It’s on Grace Street obviously with all these nice historic homes on the block. The people have a great garden in the back and the put on this concert series. I think they normally do three or four concerts during the summer, one a month. This is our third year doing it and it’s always a blast. We play a lot of stuff we don’t normally get to and it’s a nice little intimate place for our music that always ends up being a special night for us. We’re really looking forward to and bringing Rain And Laura with us this year.”
Wylder plays Richmond Saturday night as part of the East Grace Street House Concert Series. Tickets are $20 with the doors opening at 7:30 PM. Attendance is limited to only 30 people so make sure to grab your tickets now at this link.
