Wut - Mingling with the Thorns LP

Wut - Mingling with the Thorns LP (HHBTM /USA)

Sadly the shipping gods were not kind to my box of records and one corner has a small ding in it. If you are someone that requires a flawless outer sleeve, this record will make you unhappy.

They Say:

2024 sees WUT releasing Mingling with the Thorns, their sophomore full-length album and first with indie rock stalwarts HHBTM Records. The album was created during two years of intermittent quarantines which caused guitarist Kaity McWhinney (of Knife Pleats and Love Cuts), bassist Tracey Vath (also of Knife Pleats and Love Cuts), and drummer Lauren Smith (of Tough Age and Jock Tears), to write songs independently, and share their ideas through countless emails. Long periods of isolation were consumed by experimentation with different arrangements, and often an idea would be re-worked over and over (and over) again. This resulted in a collection of carefully crafted pop songs that reflects the bands mutual love for the sounds of the community minded 1980’s indie rock underground. McWhinney’s longtime friend and musical collaborator, Riley Riley (Artsick, Burnt Palms) joined WUT on the track “Your Feelings”, which pushes the band into the realms of garage rock with her raw and frenetic lead guitar.

On a surface level, Mingling with the Thorns may seem fun and carefree. However, a dig deeper into the album’s lyrical content draws up themes that grapple with patriarchy and late capitalism; specifically the struggle to find personal autonomy within these social systems.