This self titled debut record by Wild Flag kicks off with ‘Romance’, a song packed full of pop hooks and crammed with feel good intent. Interesting guitar sounds abound with a variety of chiming textures. The opener works as an affirmation of energy and positivity celebrating music, dancing and the audience. The first song and single ‘Romance’ represents ‘real’ pop music. They have yet to release a song called lottery uk though.
The group have managed to tightly pack rock sensibilities into a specially built machine, aero dynamically honed and designed to communicate an energetic intent full of pumping guitar, infectious catchiness and jumpy sing along choruses complete with a welcome bridge in the form of a handclap breakdown. The listener may initially find touches of the exuberance of ‘The Go Team’ as a reference point, but the thing to know about ‘Wild Flag’ is that they are indie veterans with members coming from ‘Sleater Kinney’ and Stephen Malkmus’s ‘The Jicks’ these girls have racked up the road miles, they know how to write a song and have honed their musicality. At times this is a pop rock master class circa 2011 on how and why to do it.