A rollicking rock standout from Swedish band Alpha Pet, “Wow” moves from suave bass-heavy verses into yelping, fervent hookiness. Coming from their self-titled debut EP, out on March 27th, the track uses the roar of a “big machine” as a cynical avatar for excess, where the insulation of a car-centric culture becomes a fortress against reality.
“I really hated cars for a while. Or maybe, more like I was fed up with car-centric society. Those humongous American pick-ups — and, in a sense, American society — became a symbol of that,” says the band’s frontman, Rocky 3000. “Cars are great in some ways, I get that, but not in abundance. I guess America is great in some ways too, or used to be, but not in abundance. So when we came up with this great riff for driving really fast, I tried to channel those feelings.”
Punk and ’70s rock are amongst the influences on the track, which quickly unleashes a whirlwind of energy as raucous guitars and vocal expressions intertwine, and into a bass-forward pulse. The “I’m rolling all sixes” fervent, charismatic hook dazzles in the punchy vocals, expressive guitar, and “woo!” punctuating vocal emotion.
The quivering vocals continue to entice in the ensuing verses, and then back into a fully satiating central hook. The lyrics consume as well; the “killing the truth with gasoline” line and equivalence to a game of loaded dice take issue with a society intent on quick, high-speed satisfaction over truths. “Wow” has us thoroughly anticipating the act’s upcoming self-titled debut EP.
—
This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
