Bastard

Description

Electronic post-punk trio The Wants embraces the possibility that embracing contradiction can birth something cathartic and unexpected. Formed by Madison Velding-VanDam and Jason Gates in 2017, and with the addition of Yasmeen Night in 2021, The Wants’ sound is defined by the push and pull of its members’ processes: floating rhythms that uplift grounded songwriting, pulsing synths that subsume live instrumentation. Their new album, Bastard, is an evolution of the many seeds planted on their debut, Container (2020). The Wants forge an unlikely alliance of sounds that feels both radical and inevitable. Velding-VanDam channels both the raw power and humor of Public Image Limited and the romance of The Smiths, while Gates draws his intensity from bands like Bauhaus and Throbbing Gristle, and takes inspiration from experimental techno. Night’s sound bridges the gap between 90s alternative rock inspiration, such as Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, and the nocturnal trip-hop atmosphere of Massive Attack. The result exists in its own category—too raw to be pure electronic music, too mechanized to be pure rock—drawing favorable comparisons to early PIL and contemporaries like Model/Actriz while remaining distinctly their own beast.