Jack Tatum may have formed Wild Nothing in Blacksburg, Virginia, but the band’s hazy dream-pop is more resonant for their current LA digs. Last year they shared “Begin Again” for the post-election Our First 100 Days compilation series. They released their last album Life Of Pause in 2016, and today they announce the follow-up Indigo with its lead single.

Wall-to-wall synth and chiming guitars on “Letting Go” evoke a modern ’80s feel. A retro sensibility is nothing new for Tatum, but the urge sounds more fleshed out on this single, more bright and ambitious. Before recording as a full band, Tatum crafted the demos for Indigo alone in his studio with guitars, keyboards, and laptop programs and plug-ins. The effort to stay true to his digital creations shines through in the tight, sparkly rendering.

Production mastermind Jorge Elbrecht (Ariel Pink, Gang Gang Dance, Japanese Breakfast) worked with Tatum on the album, adding new material and repurposing sounds from Tatum’s demos. “I wanted it to sound like a classic studio record, as close as I could get it there. It just boils down to me wanting to fit into some larger narrative, musically, in terms of these artists I love,” says Tatum. “I think about how my music will age. Ideas of ‘timeless’ are going to be different — so if Indigo is not timeless then it’s at least ‘out of time.'”

Listen to “Let Go” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Letting Go”
02 “Oscillation”
03 “Partners In Motion”
04 “Wheel of Misfortune”
05 “Shallow Water”
06 “Through Windows”
07 “The Closest Thing To Living”
08 “Dollhouse”
09 “Canyon on Fire”
10 Flawed Translation
11 “Bend”

Indigo is out 8/31 via Captured Tracks. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Cara Robbins