Wild Pink share new J Mascis team-up ‘See You Better Now’
New York indie rockers Wild Pink are leaning into a few high-profile collaborations for their upcoming album, ILYSM. Last week, we got to hear the band play off fellow indie folk troubadour Julien Baker on the single ‘Hold My Hand’. Today, it’s time for another single and another team up with ‘See You Better Now’ featuring J Mascis.
For those of you living under numerous very heavy rocks, J Mascis is the legendary singer and guitar player for alternative rock icons Dinosaur Jr. Mascis’ tone and playing style is instantly identifiable, with the combination of his signature Fender Jazzmaster, high wattage amplifiers, and an arsenal of pedals producing something that sounds more like a flamethrower than a guitar. That’s what you want from J Mascis when you ask him to appear on a track, and that’s pretty much what he does on ‘See You Better Now’.
The weird thing is, I’m not sure if Mascis has ever played on a song this soft. Gentle acoustic indie folk isn’t exactly his area of expertise, and as you wait for the inevitable fireworks to start, you wonder how Mascis is going to fit into this very tasteful, very restrained arrangement. The answer is that Mascis fits the tune like a glove, producing a solo that sounds completely indebted to classic rock figures like Rory Gallagher or Nils Lofgren, among others.
“‘See You Better Now’ is the most straightforward love song on the album and definitely inspired by Tom Petty and Traveling Wilburys,” singer John Ross explains in a statement. “It was one of the last songs I wrote for this album and a really fun song to record in the studio. It’s still wild to me that J Mascis did the guitar solo on it.”
The only strange part of ‘See You Better Now’ is that it ends with an abrupt cut. Maybe that’s because on ILYSM it leads right into another track? That’s cool and all, but you guys are kind of leaving us hanging on the single version. Maybe it’s an artistic choice? Who knows, but it’s the only blemish on an otherwise solid acoustic indie rock track.
Check out the visualiser for ‘See You Better Now’ down below. ILYSM is set for an October 14th release.
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