The Wet Secrets: I Can Live Forever E.P. Review

By Melissa Johnston
Music Reviewer

Artist: The Wet Secrets
Album: I Can Live Forever E.P.
Label: Six Shooter Records
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Website: http://thewetsecrets.com

I love a band with a good story and The Wet Secrets don’t disappoint. Besides being a contemporary dance rock band (with a sound resembling a fuzzy combination of Said The Whale and The Elwins) that wears red marching band uniforms when they perform, they were originally formed on a dare: a dare between lead singer Lyle Bell and drummer Trevor Anderson to write, record, and release a full-length album in one week, which they did. Thus came the birth of A Whale of a Cow in 2005. Now, eleven years later, after three other album releases and some band member changes, they’ve released their I Can Live Forever EP.

This EP is a juicy four-song album jam-packed with bass-driven melodies made up of swirling synth, brass, vocal harmonies and a plethora of delicious intricacies. Bell’s grungy vocals are supported by harmonies of all the band members; most notably Kim Rackel (trumpet/tuba) and Emma Frazier (trombone), whose soprano harmonies bring a satisfyingly bright balance to the mix. Paul Arnusch’s groovy psych-pop synth skills accompany Anderson’s rockin’ beats, while Christan Maslyk pulls the ensemble together with saxophone and percussion.

I Can Live Forever is the most fun album that I have listened to so far this year. The first track, “I Can Swing A Hammer,” immediately lifts my spirits and makes me want to dance. “Final Curtain for a Drama Queen,” the third track, is a fast-paced but constantly changing song that I can’t get enough of.  Although the album feels like an anthem for a good time, underneath the happy-go-lucky melodies are some deeper, more emotional lyrics, that juxtapose optimism and the complexities of life. For example, the last track of the album, titled “Quelle Surprise”, begins with “I found out / everything was a lie / every dubious choice / was never really mine,” and ends on a verse stating, “same old song / I’ve been singing all my life / If that’s so wrong / I don’t want it to be right,” all the while chill but bright synth and brass riffs flowing along. This emotional aspect is what really pulls the album together to form one of the best musical projects of the year so far.