American Wrestlers: Goodbye Terrible Youth (Fat Possum) Review

American Wrestlers

Goodbye Terrible Youth

Fat Possum

Dec 08, 2016 American Wrestlers By Scott Dransfield

American Wrestlers’ Goodbye Terrible Youth tackles the most difficult obstacle for any young, lo-fi, “bedroom pop” act: learning how to make your sound bigger and clearer without sanding off any of the appealingly rough edges. The band, which has expanded from its beginnings as a solo project of frontman Gary McClure, mostly succeeds: “Amazing Grace” is a pleasantly jangly midtempo affair, while “Vote Thatcher” and “Blind Kids,” bring some urgency and a louder rock profile to the mix. “Real People” is an effectively evocative acoustic closer.

But despite some quick song transitions and the consistent full-band sound throughout, Goodbye Terrible Youth fails to connect well as an album. It just doesn’t have the same personality that American Wrestlers’ self-titled debut captured so well. The aforementioned highlights, however, are high enough to keep coming back to. (www.facebook.com/americanwrestlers/)

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