Wolves Like Us – Late Love

Well this was not what I was expecting at all. A band from Norway named Wolves Like Us had me thinking this would be black metal or at least some form of death metal, but both are way off the mark. This is definitely a welcome surprise this morning. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what genre fits best.

It’s heavy enough that you could technically call it metal, but it doesn’t feel like metal most of the time. The vocals, while having a rough edge would be considered clean and definitely melodic. Oddly, what pops into my head first when I try to place the vocals is a heavier version of Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye doing the chorus for something like “Merchandise” off of “Repeater”. These guys sound nothing like Fugazi but there you have it, my bizarre first impression. Or maybe like a heavy Modest Mouse that doesn’t suck.

They do a cover of “My Enemy” by the Afghan Whigs which comes from the “Black Love” album, which as luck would have it, I also own. Comparing the two versions the Wolves Like Us version is definitely heavier, more metal than alternative. But at the same time it does not sound un-natural to hear Wolves Like Us playing the song.

I’d be curious to know the bands that influence these guys as I expect that would help clear things up. I feel like they must dig some metal, but they also have an alternative twist, maybe some punk, and I dunno, something more experimental as well. Looking around online I see a couple people compare them to Planes Mistaken For Stars and Hot Water Music, but I’m not familiar with either of those bands.

Whatever they are, whatever you want to call them, I like them. They are different enough that they aren’t going to get lost in a sea of other bands that sound just like them (at least not in my collection) so it seems likely I will be coming back to this album in the future. Check out the embedded player to see what you think.