Wildcat! Wildcat! (make sure you shout gleefully when you say their name) has been steadily chugging away for a of couple years now, and although the trio has yet to truly break out into the mainstream music world's consciousness, they've earned support from key outlets and names in the industry itself, as the music on their debut album could very well be the catalyst that finally catapults them into the spotlight. Their music is definitely their own, and the album itself feels a lot like the Local Natives' Gorilla Manor, which, for them, was the album that finally solidified the band's following and aided in the transition from buzz-band to a fully formed indie group with an established sound. Wildcat! Wildcat!'s No Moon at All feels very similar in that the music isn't particularly revolutionary when compared to their earlier work, but, just a little bit better in almost every facet and category. And while this means that they may not grab blog headlines for their risky creative decisions, they're going to make news where it counts. The album will sound very familiar if you're already a fan of the band's earlier work, but everything is just a big bigger and a bit more polished, and really, how can one argue with that? On face, the improvements are actually quite hard to notice, but after you've listened to the whole thing, it becomes apparent that everything was cranked up to the next level. This is the Wildcat! Wildcat! you've come to love, except this time, they're even better than before, and there's much more of their sound to enjoy. With an album-size crop of music, there's always going to be the high points and low points to address, but for the most part, Wildcat! Wildcat! has made sure to keep a pretty consistent angle of attack when dealing with each individual song. As a result, No Moon at All is quite consistent, and although we're not sure if that was by design from the beginning or just a happy accident, we do know that it makes for a great listening experience when hearing the album in its entirety. In fact, each song melts into the next so well, that this album almost feels like a DJ mix of the band's best work—turning the project into a piece of art that is way more powerful than the sum of it's parts. We're especially fond of a couple of the earlier songs on the project, and it would be a crime not to shove tracks like "Tower // W.O.H.L.", "Hero", "Up & Beyond", and "Circuit Breaker" into the limelight if only for a second in order to recognize their merit. Wildcat! Wildcat! makes music that is remarkably self-assured, and in doing so, they stay away from sounds that try too hard to grab your attention. Instead, what they gravitate towards the kind of low-key music that sneaks up behind you when your guard is down and wins you over with clever composition and a polished exterior. "Tower // W.O.H.L." exemplifies this perfectly, and if there are such things as "mellow bangers", then this track is definitely one of those. The same thing goes for "Hero" and "Up & Beyond", and when you listen to both tracks, you'll remember why Wildcat! Wildcat! has caught the attention of so many tastemakers in the past couple of years. As you move through the album, too, don't forget about "Circuit Breaker" or "Garden Grays", in addition to the aforementioned tracks. Both of the efforts are specimens of understated cool, and while "Garden Grays" has been out for a while, all of that newly released song smell is still there, and it's lost none of its shine over the last year. No Moon at All, on the back of all of the fantastically highlighted efforts here, has proven to be not only a strong showing for the band, but also the right move to make as they navigate their way through the hordes of other names trying to convert hype into steady careers. The three behind the moniker are here to say, and this new album of theirs is going to keep them locked in for time to come.
Wildcat! Wildcat!