This Wild Life’s singles leave fans eager for new album Petaluma
By Dara Collins
This Wild Life’s fourth and final single from Petaluma leaves fans wanting to dive headfirst into the new album.
The original pop punk band turned into an acoustic pair of Kevin Jordan and Anthony Del Grosso after fans fell in love with the emotional, stripped down tunes sung by Jordan’s powerful vocals with Del Grosso’s vocal complement. If this new album proved anything so far, it is that it will send us on an emotional rollercoaster.
This Wild Life is set to release its third full studio album, Petaluma, next Friday, June 22. The acoustic duo have been dropping singles and music videos left and right since April 3, 2018, when Hold You Here made its debut. Since then, three more tracks released, each exciting fans more than the last.
Related Story: 6 reasons to go to Warped Tour this summer
Hold You Here was the first of four to be released. Jordan’s and Del Grosso’s voices fall into perfect harmony alongside the soft instruments in the background, and you find yourself smiling and thinking of one person. This Wild Life always finds a way to tug on your heart strings.
Jordan explained the song is about letting go of the stress and negativity surrounding you to live in the current moment. Before the final chorus, Jordan also explains the lyrics tell us to put everything you have into a relationship to make it succeed.
People relate to the track immediately because everyone struggles in one way or another with school, work, relationships, etc. We forget the five-minute rule: If it won’t matter is five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it. Also, if you have something wonderful with someone, the song tells you to do everything you can to better the relationship. Never give it up if you truly want it.
After listening to Hold You Here, it is interesting to hear Headfirst, the most recent released track. Since it is new, the duo have not released their meaning behind the lyrics. From an average person, they seem to tell the story of a couple falling apart because one person is putting in more effort than the other. The person trying to make the relationship work recognizes their effort is not being reciprocated, yet they still care for the other so much.
The track seems to explain what could happen if you put too much into a relationship when the other side does not care if it succeeds or not. Jordan sings of hurricanes, rain and thunderstorms as if all the person receives is negativity and damage from the relationship. Once again, we find ourselves relating to a relationship we loved too much to leave.
Catie Rae, the third single and the second track so far that Jordan related to his girlfriend, is an atypical love song. The ukulele and the guitar make for an upbeat tune as Jordan takes a realistic approach to his relationship and allows us to listen and relate to our own. He sings about the admiration he has for his girlfriend, the sacrifices he made as he got older and the flaws of the relationship from both sides. No relationship is perfect, but the lyrics tell us love each other despite the flaws.
Next: 30 best Disney movies of all time
The second single, Westside, is packed with passionate lyrics of Jordan’s take on a past situation in which a loved one was sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, too many can relate to such a situation, especially since the rise of the #MeToo movement. He explains he felt so much anger but could only be there for comfort, which is all you can be sometimes.
The beginning opens with the typical soft acoustics with accents of electric guitar that is synonymous with This Wild Life before exploding to the chorus when Jordan says, “You could never be a burden, it’s alright.” If this track conveys any message, I hope it comforts those who feel they cannot share what they are going through in any situation.
Petaluma is on track to be the most “This Wild Life-like” album yet. The four songs have proved the raw emotion fans crave from Jordan and Del Grosso is exactly what is being served. The lyrics combined with the duo’s vocal and instrumental talents have created the foundation of relatability and emotion that is sure to be fulfilled next Friday.