Laughing Gas by Wild Nothing

Laughing Gas, chillwave stalwart Wild Nothing’s latest release, gives you the dream pop vibes you might expect with a nostalgic spin. The entire EP draws from a palette of sounds and melodic progressions that are decidedly from the late 80s and early 90s. In a certain way, the marriage makes sense; chillwave has found vintage inspiration before. Last year’s Beck album, Hyperlife drew on inspiration from the 80s; the cover was an illusion to Miami Vice. It’s safe to say this was a natural progression for the genre, and one that pairs nicely with the chill and dreamy vibes Wild Nothing is know for spinning.

The album’s composition is interesting. Four of the five songs follow a structure of two vague verses interlaced with a very simple chorus and a repetitive outro. It all feels like you’re on an introspective hunt for an unknown something on a foggy night in Miami (does it get foggy in Miami?). The exception is “Blue Wings,” which is a bit more complex. This however, makes sense, as “Blue Wings” was written for then ultimately left off of 2018’s Indigo. As it was written in a (presumably) different era than Laughing Gas’ other four songs, it follows that there would be stylistic differences.

Overall, Laughing Gas is solid. It isn’t the greatest thing you’ll ever hear from Wild Nothing but it is worth a listen, especially where it keys on inspiration drawn from the 80s like “Sleight of Hand’s” vocal track and the opening saxophone on “The World is a Hungry Place.” As the old becomes new again, expect the genre to continue with this experiment, especially as a standard bearer like Wild Nothing embraces the sounds you might’ve found pumping out of your dad’s Camero in 1986.