ALBUM REVIEW: WAWAWOW – Pink Elephant
Inspired by the hallucinogenic drug movement from the late 60’s, psychedelic rock has been a prominent genre for many Australian artists, with bands such as Tame Impala, Pond and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard all experimenting with psychedelic rock in their own, unique ways. Fresh out of Sydney comes WAWAWOW, a psych-rock outfit combining chaotic synths with indie-electro undercurrents.
‘Pink Elephant’, WAWAWOW’s debut album, is full of their signature sound: high energy, distorted guitar, and trippy, dream-like vocals. The album is adorned with raw Australiana samples, as Pink kicks things off with kookaburra calls which slowly fade out into warped guitar riffs, all backed with a strong, unforgiving drum beat. Animals and nature are central to the theme of this album, as what can only be described as an ‘Alan Watts-esque’ voice speaks of our ancient past in regards to the decomposition of our native flora and fauna during Elephant Bird. In a very much WAWAWOW-way, the song comes to an abrupt stop and Girls begins. There’s no rest for the wicked, as WAWAWOW jump straight into an organised state of pandemonium, with lyrical musings coming through more clear. Heading towards the half way mark of the album, The Pot begins again with the wise ramblings of an older man, who speaks of Sydney being a densely populated city, which can be cleverly inferred from the exciting build-up of fuzzy instruments which then lead us into their lead single, The Big Cookoff. By this stage, the album is well and truly underway and their indie-psych fusion is in full, chaotic swing. Their B-52 inspired vocals shine brightly during The Big Cookoff, which is further enhanced with thick guitar rhythms.
Things get a bit quieter during track number seven, Green Man, as a softer, illusionary state is entered. However, this does not last for long as Vanilda gets deeper and darker, building upon Green Man, using the same traffic light sounds as Green Man. A quick interlude called Margaret Snowpants plays, which leads us directly into the synth sounds of Rat Porridge, a seemingly more fun, upbeat tune with repetitive vocals, almost reminiscent of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s earlier sound. The easy going nature of Rat Porridge continues throughout Well, These Shoes Aren’t Gonna Take Themselves Off, as a beachy psych-rock sound develops, inviting the listener to indeed, take off their shoes and kick back into that moment. Of course, this feeling doesn’t last long, as Pinwheel kicks things off one more time with tight guitar riffs mirroring one another, preparing for the last track, Elephant. It’s clear that the Sydney four-piece have organically bounced off of each other for their energy throughout the entirety of the album. Elephant, spanning for nearly seven minutes, combines all of the great things about this album: the fun, fast-paced synths, the warped vocals, the relentless guitar riffs and rhythms, which seem to have sprung straight from jam sessions, capturing the essence of WAWAWOW almost perfectly.
WAWAWOW have made it crystal clear that psychedelic rock belongs here, in 2020, and they are more than happy to deliver it, with their infectious excitement ultimately culminating in their debut album, Pink Elephant.
Find WAWAWOW on tour in NSW in Feb 2020:
Saturday, February 15th Dicey Riley’s Hotel Wollongong
Album Launch
with Tuff Mustard, Naughty Boys and Tombeau
Saturday, February 22nd Town Hall Hotel Newtown
Album Launch
with Pyjama Sundayz, Cakewalk