17 // The Wants // Container

 

On their impressive debut, The Wants employ a notably minimalist approach to post-punk, in keeping with their New York scene roots. An interesting additional twist is the (light) infusion of dance beats (American techno, especially) and – occasionally – Depeche Mode style dream pop into that stripped back NYC post-punk framework. Although Container is a debut, members of The Wants have been working in various other well established East Coast post-punk bands over the last decade, and the benefits of that experience are clear to see. This album is confident and assured, particularly in its understanding of when less in more. Even its rockier tracks, such as (celebration of middle America – often so derided) ‘The Motor’, feel controlled and carefully paced; as frontman Madison Velding-VanDam repeatedly notes on that track, ‘I am calm’. Overall, an excellent album from the precise (more ‘math’) end of post-punk, with some unexpected dance beats and a very sure sense of self.