by David Wilikofsky
On their social media accounts, Enumclaw bill themselves as “the best band since Oasis.” Whether or not you think Oasis deserves that praise, the comparison Enumclaw are making is about more than just music. Oasis were once one of the most ubiquitous acts in music, and perhaps the last bonafide international rock stars. Enumclaw aren’t shy about harboring the same ambitions; in a recent interview, the group went on record claiming they want to be the biggest band in the world. Their debut album, Save The Baby, makes one thing clear: Enumclaw are reaching for greatness, and they’re already well on their way to attaining it.
Enumclaw’s ambitions seep out of every pore of their music. They write songs that are as much pop are they are rock, filled with sweeping melodies and anthemic choruses tailor made for arena sing-alongs. Their lyrics match the grand sweep of their music; they talk about “waking up brand new”, becoming who they’re “destined to be”, chasing their dreams. Though these sentiments are applied to everything from failed romantic relationships to tough upbringings, it’s the specificity of their language that remains constant. There’s a palpable sense of longing, a need to transcend their current circumstances and be reborn in some higher form.
If there’s one criticism to be lobbied at the album, it’s that some songs begin to bleed together by the end of the record; they lean a bit too heavily on the hazily anthemic brand of rock song they’ve clearly perfected. However, there are certainly clues as to where they might go from here littered throughout the album: a moody spoken word monologue tacked to the end of “Black Iris”, the stripped down acoustic balladry of closer “Apartment” and “Somewhere”, the spacey feedback laced outro to “Cowboy Bebop”. Enumclaw already sound like a band that can attain their titanic ambitions, but these moments hint at even greater heights the band may attain in the future.