There's a hell of a lot of cool shit happening right now within the realm of post-punk-leaning sounds—so much so that I've actually held off on writing about this masterful group for about a week to try and avoid covering this niche of music too frequently—and Los Angeles quartet The Wraith are amongst the most impressive that have crossed my path as of late. I was immediately blown away by their approach, which brings to mind New Model Army meets Killing Joke with a deathrock twist and the catchier hooks of bands like The Mission, etc.
The Wraith has absolutely fucking nailed an aesthetic that's an aptly dated nod to the '80s without being a complete throwback, musically as well as visually, and I absolutely love everything about it. The songwriting and execution are just flawless. If you told me this was a long lost 7" from the U.K. circa 1984 or something, I'd probably believe it.
I simply can't say enough good things about this EP. So good. I'm eagerly awaiting a full-length already! Until then, Shadow Flag is available on CD and cassette via Bandcamp. (Yes! On CD! I can't even remember the last time I was able to find a newly-released EP being sold on CD! Of course I've ordered a copy!)
P.S. Fun fact: The Wraith's drummer, Scott Raynor, was the original drummer of Blink-182, which is kinda crazy! (And cool, too. I listen to Blink-182 and I don't give a fuck.)
