Salinas / Reach Around (2025)
I shall begin by giving Wavers perhaps the most backhanded compliment I've written in a while. If this record came out in 1996, I wouldn't have noticed it. It would have been 'oh, there's another indie sounding band from K / Kill Rock Stars land.' I don't know that they would have stood out to me at the time as being anything other than 'good.' But hearing this record in 2026, it kind of floors me because I don't really feel like bands are making this sort of music anymore. It stands out in a way that I don't know if it could have 30 years ago, even though it's cultivating those familiar sounds.
Which makes me think, how many bands did I not give a fair shake to back then because of the insane glut of incredible releases dropping what seemed like weekly. How many gems did I miss? Many, I'm sure. Backtracking to bands I overlooked in the 90s in recent years has brought many a band to the forefront that I didn't have the time or money for back then. I think Wavers would have been the same - appreciated more later.
I hope that doesn't happen to them, as their combination of textured indie pop guitar rock mixed with Rosie's strong, but infinitely hooky vocals are the sort of combination that bands would kill for. Yes, you can draw a line to other Pacific Northwest luminaries like the Spinanes, Crabs and Go Sailors of the world, but what sets Wavers apart is the music. This isn't sparse, twinkling indie rock. This full sounding, bass heavy Indie Rock with a capital I, with those perfect K records style vocals on top.
Again, I don't feel like I hear a lot of bands like this anymore. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places anymore, which I won't discount as a possibility (probability?). But coming across this album is a welcome surprise.
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