Today on August 29th, 2021 the Philadelphia-based indie group Wicket released their first full length record, “Always Good.” This is following up an EP they released in May of 2020.
With the tracks being written over the course of 2019 and 2020, they gained inspiration from everything around them. Bringing in different ideas they were able to create a 10-track debut record!
When asked about each track on “Always Good”, this is what they had to say:
“It is happening again”
Sean Christman: This song is about Twin Peaks. I think a lot of the songs on the album were influenced by that show in some way, but this one especially.
We have listened to a lot of bands like Gatsbys American Dream that don’t really use choruses or traditional song structure and I think you can definitely hear it in this song.
Jim Canuso: A great song to open the LP because it’s upbeat and it really pops.
“Mr. Physics”
SC: This is probably my favorite song to play on the album. Jimmy [Canuso] wrote it and I think it sounds like it could be a Daphne Loves Derby track, which is another one of our favorite bands.
I think what Jimmy did in the bridge with the synth is very Motion City Soundtrack, and I love it.
JC: This song turned out to sound much better than I ever expected. For over a year it was a shorter song that only went to that second chorus, but the synth solo in the bridge is my favorite part.
“2.5”
SC: I named this song after a lyric by The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die. I also was listening to a ton of Peaer when I wrote the guitar parts for this.
JC: My favorite song on the LP, even though I probably have heard this one during the recording and production way more than any of the others.
“Williams”
SC: This was my attempt at writing a slacker rock song. This one all came together in one night which is pretty rare because most of these songs are a few years old.
JC: This song had very little contribution from me besides vocals, but it’s a big time drum song. Probably my favorite drums on the LP.
“Inhaler”
SC: We wrote this one in April of 2020 right when everything was getting shut down and it was initially just kind of a throwaway track, but Jimmy added a lot to the arrangement and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
JC: This song is a great stripped down turning point in the LP that kind of slows down the tempo a little in preparation for hours away and this is probably gonna kill me. Probably the most relatable one as well.
“Hours Away”
SC: Jimmy wrote this one. We had this instrumental and couldn’t figure out how to bring the song together, and these lyrics were actually written for a different track, but once Jimmy put the two together things finally made sense and the track worked.
JC: This was sort of written by accident, as Sean mentioned. This is one of the more piano heavy songs, but every instrument has a lot to say and they play off each other very well.
“This is Probably Gonna Kill Me”
SC: This one’s all Jimmy. I think his guitar work is really cool on this track. It’s a fun one to drum to, as well.
JC: This is the only song on the LP I wrote while I was pissed off. It definitely has a distinctly different tone than all the others.
“Portmanteau”
SC: The demo name for this song was literally “SOTB” because we were listening to so much Spirit of the Beehive when we wrote it. This is definitely my favorite track on the album.
I’m really proud of how the drums turned out.
JC: This song goes hard, but in a really chill way. It’s pretty busy with a lot of guitar riffs and piano happening, but it’s also simple and to the point.
“Up, Not Out”
SC: I really like how this one turned out. I wrote the guitars for this at my apartment in Boston in early 2020 and I really love the outro. One of the few times I actually wrote a chorus.
JC: I love the structure of this song. From the uneasy, almost ominous tone of the verse to the punchy, hard rock chorus, and then the melodic, peaceful outro.
“Trip Chamber”
SC: I had an instrumental demo of this that I couldn’t figure out what to do with and Jimmy totally took it to the next level.
JC: For me, this is the most nostalgic song on the LP. It reflects on life up to this point and looks back on the journey of the whole LP. It has a nice groove and busy guitar lines, but the chorus riff that Sean wrote is my favorite thing in the song.
To show your support to Wicket you can follow them on Twitter @wicketphl and pick up physical copies of “Always Good” exclusively on the Here Goes Nothing Records website. All money made goes directly to the band so make sure you don’t miss out!
“Always Good'' isn't available on all. streaming services just yet, but for now you can check it out on Wicket's Bandcamp! After you check it out, let us know what you think by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw.