The Wild Ones is the first single from Halifax musician Heather Green’s new release, Clementine.
It’s impossible to talk about Halifax musician Heather Green’s new album Clementine without dropping a reference to The Wild Ones, the first single to emerge from her seven-song follow-up to 2012’s Your Last War. The Wild Ones is as catchy as they come and harkens back to a time when Halifax was heralded as the international music epicenter of the East Coast, producing some of the country’s most infectiously poppy college radio hits. In short, it’s both a breath of fresh air and a song that commands attention.
The Wild Ones exudes an urgency from the very beginning as Green’s voice and her backing band (Halifax’s Young River) launch into both melody and lyrics on the first beat, removing the traditional barrier that can sometimes distance a song’s lyrical content from its melodic delivery. Opening with the question, “Baby, are you tired of me yet?”, Green immediately hooks the listener’s attention, setting up the song’s storyline which revolves poetically around the thematic and heartfelt confession, “I only love the wild ones”.
Green sticks close to the themes of love, loss and longing that have remained present throughout her career but Clementine is a strong step forward in terms of structure and arrangement with the album’s overall production helping to open Green’s delivery to a broader audience.
This recording once again pairs Green with producer Daniel Ledwell, who has had a strong influence on the work of other East Coast artists, magnifying the talents of Jenn Grant and Andy Brown to great effect.
While there is no dismissing the combined strength of Green’s songwriting paired with her accompanying musicians, the one instrumental track, Sparks, feels a bit like an afterthought. Clementine: Not quite a full album. Not quite an EP. Definitely worth a listen.
Sounding Board takes a look around the East Coast, profiling fresh new sounds that deserve a good listen. One track at a time.
