Oakland post-punk four piece Wax Idols are about to release their second album entitled Discipline & Desire on March 26th. With Heather Fedewa aka Hether Fortune at the helm, the band have built on their first album No Future in a noisy, melodic way like a modern day Siouxsie And The Banshees.

Opener “Stare Back” channels the seventies British punk sound with a tirade of drums and guitar, Fedewa sings and shouts “I love the sad and the sick of the world, I love I love them all, stare back, stare back….I love the twisted and hideous faces, I love them dead most of all, stare back, stare back….”. Granted, not the most uplifting start, but one that sets the tone for the gothic, post-punk Wax Idols produce.

“Sound of a Void” introduces lo-fi, jangly guitars into the mix, leaning towards influences like Joy Division whilst “When It Happens” carries on these vibes with a driving, pushing track; “I was dancing alone at the edge of the world….I was laughing to myself because I doubt there’s no-one home, so if they’re right let me be there when it happens”.

“Scent of Love” slows down the pace a little and emphasizes Fedewa’s vocals more clearly although the notes are flat and aggressive as ever. “Dethrone” is jangly enough to have a Smiths feel whilst oddly titled “AD RE IAN” is a droning number with two bursting musical interludes. Fedewa sings about political disorder; “Can you see it in the mirror? Do you feel it in the streets? How the effects of failure got you down upon your knees. The crowds are maddening, deafening, the screams lull you to sleep. And now with open arms and rouging hands you give yourself to dreams.”

“Elegua” involves a lot of lo-fi feedback and is a spacey, encompassing track because of it. The drawn out vocals drone along to the melody. Closing track “Stay In” goes back to a more jangly but still down feel with steady drums and guitar bringing the band’s second album Discipline & Desire back round full circle.

Reviewed by Heather Welsh.

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