Midas
Midas gives Wunderhorse's guitar songs a rougher, more immediate sound. The playing often feels close to the edge, with distorted guitars, heavy drums and Jacob Slater's voice carrying plenty of strain. Yet the melodies remain clear enough to follow. The album gets its character from the contact between those two things: direct songwriting and a performance that refuses to make every surface smooth.
The title track makes that approach clear in a short space. A sharp guitar riff and a strong vocal delivery give it an immediate pull, introducing the album without a long build-up. Rain adds a more restless rhythm and a thick bass presence. The music is heavy enough to make an impression, but the band keep the arrangement focused on the song's movement.
Emily and Silver bring a more troubled emotional tone. The guitars can be bright and rough at the same time, while Slater pushes his voice hard enough to make the words feel exposed. That delivery is central to the record. It gives the songs a sense of urgency that a tidier performance might lose, even when the surrounding parts are quite simple.
Superman offers a softer point in the middle. The more reflective pace creates useful room before July arrives with a much fiercer attack. Its distorted guitar and forceful singing make it one of the album's clearest statements. Cathedrals keeps the heavier sound active, while Girl allows more light into the later sequence.
Aeroplane takes longer to close the record, working with a gentler guitar setting and a more patient build. The final guitar passage gives it a strong sense of scale without making it feel like a different band has arrived. It is a fitting ending to an album that often gains its force from leaving the performance exposed.
That emphasis on energy has a cost. Some songs depend more on tone and delivery than on a particularly memorable progression, and Slater's raw singing will not work for every listener. A few more surprising turns would give the middle section greater variety. Still, Midas has a convincing band identity and several strong songs to support it. Wunderhorse make familiar guitar music feel active again through commitment, contrast and a clear sense of how much roughness the melody can hold.
