Wexford – Silent Key
Who knew?! There’s more to Sandusky, Ohio than a bevy of excellent roller coasters.
In this case, we’re talking about Wexford, a quartet with a veritable laundry list of expertise and talent. Their latest offering is Silent Key, a 13-song collection that combines their backgrounds in hardcore and metal with a reverence for alternative, post-hardcore, and OG emo. A listen through Silent Key is a peep hole into their varied influences, ranging everywhere from Social Distortion, to Fugazi, all the way to System of a Down. With said influences, it should be pretty obvious that this is an aggressive, guitar-forward album. Lucky for its listeners, it’s one that feels like a happy amalgam of its influences, rather than a reproduction of them.
Wexford kicks off Silent Key with a verified banger, “Change Your Mind.” Here, we’re introduced to the mainstays of their sound – chugging guitars and blistering beats that absolutely bleed aggression. It’s hard to believe that the aughts could be considered “vintage” music at this point (yes, I’m dating myself), but “Change Your Mind” has a decidedly vintage feel in that sense. It might be the chunky octave chord leads that blast through your speakers, or the cymbal bell beat hammering 4/4 time into your head, but they (whoever they is) just don’t make music like this anymore. It’s cliché at this point to say that “this would fit perfectly on any Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack,” but it really does have those Millencolin and Lagwagon vibes. They keep up an angry punk energy on song two, “Never Give Up The Fight,” where they both chant and scream the song title like it’s a gravely-voiced rallying cry.
A thorough listen through Silent Key is evidence enough that Wexford doesn’t feel the need to re-invent the wheel – when it comes down to it, they’re a punk band that knows who they are, and they’re just fine operating in that wheelhouse. Most of the album fits into this mold and you’ll find it all over – like the quick chord change fun in “Beaches” or the riffy guitar noodling found on “Regress.” Of these more straightforward punk numbers, my favorite was “Ode to the Battleground,” which has playful, sparkly leads and interesting start/stop drumming that hits like your favorite late 90s pop punk act.
When they do step outside their comfort zone, it feels refreshing without feeling like they’ve jumped the proverbial shark. “Chariots” is a good example, with it’s clean-ish guitar spine and simmering intensity. Shuffling follow up song “Scent of Maple” flirts with this sound as well… But of these “outliers,” one of them feels like a true album highlight – “Dirty Habit.” A beautiful, chorus-laden guitar arpeggio kicks everything off, before a punctuated bass line slams in that gives the song a devastating feel. “Dirty Habit” feels most like the song you might find on alt-rock radio. With its glassy-eyed vocal delivery and minor chord sentimentality, it also gets our nod for album favorite.
By the time you make it through slow-jam album closer “Save Some Face” (our runner-up for album fav), something about the title almost feels telling. Wexford specializes in face-melting punk rock… and that’s that. Consider our faces melted. If you need something to play next time you hit the skate park, Silent Key is a great choice.
Silent Key is out now (August 23rd, 2024). You can find it on your favorite streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna