I think Wicklow Atwater and the Fallen Flame is a little like Newton and Leibniz inventing calculus simultaneously and without knowledge of each other. Wicklow Atwater reminds me a heckuvalot of Greenland is Melting — raggedy vocals, crazy amounts of harmonizing, and bluegrass music with a seriously punk ethos.
But if the title of the EP wasn’t a tip-off, Wicklow Atwater — comprised of five childhood friends — is way more interested in partying than Greenland is Melting’s increasingly introspective (nay, brooding) approach to music.
So let’s focus on the party. Mayhem is too short. I can’t imagine how the band sustains this level of energy for a full concert. But this isn’t throwaway music — there’s the seed of something greater here. This album isn’t about fucking shit up; the lyrics are too smart for that. Wicklow Atwater is certainly a band to watch: even if they remain a band-for-the-good-times, they’ll still ask you to use your noggin’. But if they complicate their worldview, we’ll all benefit.