North Atlantic Explorers – We’re a Wildfire (2021)
The single ‘We’re a Wildfire’ is an intriguing peek into the full album Night Owls by North Atlantic Explorers. Using a nostalgic fusion sound, the band builds bridges between genres and invites the best parts of each to come together for the chilled track. With an indie-rock foundation, the single builds up walls of shoegaze, dream-pop and acid jazz for a dynamic reflection.
As part of an album that reflects the solitary and nocturnal nature of Glenn D’Cruze, the main man behind the music, the single offers the tranquillity and mystery of pre-dawn. The fusion sounds of the single are also a staple for the album as it brings grooves to psychedelia and classic pop. Featuring a number of musicians and vocalists, the album and this single let you glimpse the man behind the sound.
The vocals open ‘We’re a Wildfire’ with an atmospheric feeling that carries a current of otherworldliness. The harmonised vocal opening offers a chilled vibe to the music that continues as the harmonisations drop and the single vocal line takes over. The haziness of the performance envelopes your senses and fuzzes out the edges making it extremely easy to sink into the softness of the track. As you sink, the vocals sling an arm over your shoulders and tug you close for a friendly embrace. The sigh of the vocals at times bring the cool morning air of pre-dawn to your lungs while promising the positive vibes that the day is set to bring. The lyrics are a little at odds with this feeling, but this swings like a silent pendulum. In one moment, the lyrics invite you to relax and enjoy time with friends only to swing to the opposite end of the spectrum and fill you with bone-deep worry.
While the lyrics swing and the vocals call you to relax, the melody slowly builds. The shuffling drums have a touch of jazz that is enhanced by the horns in the background. As more horns join in, the movement of the music becomes quite groovy in an understated way. It has you moving but there is no urgency in the sound. Fluttering between these jazzy tones are some classic pop tinges adding light colours to the tapestry of the music. Overall, the melody is as soft and inviting as the vocals.
North Atlantic Explorers have you sinking into harmonised softness while jazzy undertones swirl beneath your feet in ‘We’re a Wildfire’. As the harmonised vocals draw you in, the softness remains throughout the single and settles like a friendly arm around your shoulders. The music is as tender as the vocals with beautiful jazz horns making their way through the soundscape.
Find out more about North Atlantic Explorers on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify.
