Wyldest - Monthly Friend

After the reverb-drenched sound of 2018 debut ‘Dream Chaos’, Wyldest’s second full-length proper, ‘Monthly Friend’, is a sharper, more focused release - both sonically and in concept. Produced and mixed as well as written by the outfit’s Zoe Mead, it’s an exercise in self-sufficiency as well as a demonstration of the record’s concept: womanhood and all the ways it can exist despite constraints. The album is full of the dreamy, intricate guitars she has come to have a reputation for, and her music is still buoyed with an indie pop sensibility, but this time there’s also a renewed presence and focus. The burbling ‘Hollow’ celebrates change, something Zoe believes “is the only way the human race can continue to exist” with barely-there vocals and glints of guitar, while on ‘Heal’ she’s full of conviction about the abuse that is often inflicted on women. Documenting her journey with clarity and confidence, ‘Monthly Friend’ is an accomplished album that shows off Zoe Mead’s command.