There is a freshness with both "Nowhere" and the short-but-oh-so-sweet b-side "Wait," presenting Michael Skattum's on drums; both Curtin and Skattum continued their roles with 'Gemini''s successor, 'Nocturne' (Captured Tracks). These two songs provide growth and collaboration for Tatum, foreshadowing how Wild Nothing would prosper, yet ghostly guitar tones on "Wait" satisfy the blood-thirsty shoegazing connoisseurs that have already devoured Wild Nothing's back catalog.
The cover art, while subtly suggesting a future trajectory for the band, additionally provides a surprising and refreshing pinch: a humanly sketched handwritten font (repeat, robots will never replace humans), breaking the tradition of Wild Nothing's italicized fonts, which they immediately revert back to. The pattern of the printed border reminds me of something Mark Robinson (Unrest, Air Miami, Flin Flon) would have designed for Teen-Beat; its mathematical, yet random, perhaps giving further examples for the band's name, "Wild Nothing" (contrast, as defined by Tatum). Ryan McCardle continues to break tradition for Wild Nothing's designs by utilizing the uncoated side of the paper stock, a favorite choice of mine that I always find poetic. Finally, the milky white vinyl itself is thick and proud, and offers a great platform for this transition.
For those you just discovering Wild Nothing, this one is worth stopping by Captured Tracks' online store to pick up a copy while it is still available. Tatum tells us a lot with these two tracks that sit so well between 'Gemini' and 'Nocturne.'
