Wavves – V

Wavves has never really been about substance – at least not in any traditional sense, with weed being this particular slacker's go-to drug. Though Nathan Williams' solo moniker has evolved into a fully fledged band, the plan of attack has always been the same. The gloomy figure on the cover might raise preconceptions that they'd continue in the grungier direction of last LP Afraid of Heights (their strongest record yet), but V instead rides similar tides to 2010's King of the Beach, with simple hooks, pretty vocal harmonies and mundane subject matter.

Immediately apparent is the thin, simplistic production for what still adds up to a thicker sound; lead track Heavy Metal Detox and Pony mostly filter out the noise rock of old, giving way to jagged, danceable indie pop. Redlead's refrain 'I'm broken and insane' is key to V's underlying theme of alienation. There's still a punk aesthetic running through Williams' vision, yet Wavves have shed some of the more alluring aspects of their past.