NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Canadian folk-pop trio Wild Rivers takes the name of its new album from the opening cut, “Never Better," but the implied assertion is at least debatable. The band's last full album, “Sidelines," landed in 2022 as a no-skip masterpiece, combining memorable, original hooks with angsty lyrics that made the band's rise to top-tier status seem inevitable.
This album, set for release July 26, doesn't sustain those heights all the way through, but that's a high bar. It does contain enough of the band's secret sauce, the poignant lyrics and elegant harmonies of singers Khalid Yassein and Devan Glover, to qualify as a worthy follow-up.
Of course, it's never smart for a band to keep doing the same things over again, and Wild Rivers hasn't done that. The trio, whose third member is Andrew Oliver, has always operated on the fault line between folk-Americana and pop. “Never Better” probably veers more toward pop than most of its previous work. Produced by Gabe Wax, who helped the indie band Soccer Mommy develop its appealing jangle-pop sound, the album sometimes allows production to overshadow the band's real strengths.
Take the title cut, “Never Better.” It's a fine song, but the opening lick and the song's main hook sound a little too much like Coldplay's “A Sky Full of Stars.” That's not the worst thing, despite the beating that band has taken from some critics, and the lyrics are compelling enough to sustain the groove. But it does leave you waiting for the moments that have set Wild Rivers apart since they emerged from Queen's University in Ontario less than a decade ago.
And the moments do come. The voices of Yassein and Glover, blended together, have an uncanny multiplier effect that takes the songs they sing to breathtaking heights. On “Everywhere I Go,” it's Yassein taking the lead as Glover shadows him with understated elegance. On “Dance” and “Backfire,” they switch it up and let Glover lead the way.
“Backfire,” a poignant ballad about the delicate balance between friendship and love, begins with perhaps the rawest moment on the album, when Glover begins: “From the second we met I knew you'd be significant.” It's unadorned and vulnerable, and her voice meets the moment. He waits until midway through to come in underneath her, happy to help her soar.
So yeah, Wild Rivers is at its best when Yassein and Glover are allowed to rise above the sound. Both are amazing singers, and it would be hard to find a band with more complementary voices working on each other's behalf.
Never better? Not necessarily. But it's still good enough to keep a really good band flying high.
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Scott Stroud, The Associated Press