‘Cub’ serves as a moment of reflection for frontman Jacob Slater.
‘Cub’ is the debut album from alt-rock outfit ‘Wunderhorse’. A genre-bending, guitar-driven album that has a mature approach to it despite being a first outing.
The album starts with the track, ‘Butterflies’, an intense opening detailing childhood trauma, “Cooing in the park/Just as the world got dark”. Instrumentally, sounds of reverb and fuzz guitar juxtapose to create an ethereal harmony that wouldn’t sound out of place on Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’.
What ‘Butterflies’ does best, however, is show that Slater is a storyteller as much as he is a musician, never shying away from sensitive topics, a characteristic shown throughout the album.
It’s followed by ‘Leader of the Pack’, a genuine contender for single of the year. The song speaks on the theme of betrayal, accompanied by a bluesy guitar riff that sounds as if Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page wrote ‘Sweet Home Alabama.’ The overall track has an addictive groove and personality, provided by Slater’s passionate vocal delivery and an unapologetically loud guitar solo to wrap it all up.
The track ‘Purple’ is written about the anger and rewards of youth, “Dad’s always drinking/Nobody’s listening and no one seems to care”, and the overall song hints at early Coldplay with angelical chords and falsetto vocals. It remains a mystery as to why it wasn’t released as a single, as the end product is truly one of the standouts of the album.
‘17’ serves as a welcomed quiet moment of tenderness with the lyrics, “Don’t go, don’t leave me here/Where it feels like I’m dying”. The ballad seems to act as a cathartic release for Slater, it’s his emotional performance and prominent guitar playing that ensures this is one of the gems of the record.
The band’s first single, ‘Teal’ perfectly balances storytelling and momentum, kicking the album back into motion after ‘17’. The lyricism on display shines through here singing, “It was the light of a candle, in the depths of the dark/And there was a fire, it danced in your eyes” as the track builds to an emotional and uplifting crescendo that truly satisfies.
Slater is a man of few words on the prog-rock ‘Poppy’, beginning with eerie lyrics of, “I steal a kill with electricity”. However, it’s the instrumental that takes centre stage here, as from the halfway point onwards, psychedelic-inspired guitar leads create something that sounds like if ‘Quadrophenia’ was made in the 90s, and the result is exceptional.
‘Epilogue’ wraps everything up and perfectly summarises the album in its sound and structure. Beginning with hazy guitar picking and hushed lyrics, before it all comes crashing down in an eruption of anger as Slater yells at Satan, “Turn to face me/Look me in the eyes”, a man possessed with confidence.
‘Cub’ is a record that feels both equally reflective and exciting. Ballads and impressive lyricism always come hand in hand with punchy guitar riffs or grungy vocal deliveries, and there’s an impressive range of sounds on display too. Slater showcases virtuosic melodies in the opener ‘Butterflies’, and heavy rock is on display in the final moments of, ‘Epilogue’.
However, what’s most impressive about the album is that its influences never seem to expel its own self-identity. Chaotic sounds and reflective lyrics all satisfyingly come together to create a project that thrives in its own insanity.