Indie rock fixtures Wavves and Say Anything have joined forces for a collaborative album titled Cherry Soda, marking an unexpected partnership between two bands that defined different corners of the aughts underground. Nathan Williams' Wavves, known for lo-fi surf-rock minimalism and bedroom pop sensibilities, pairs with Max Bemis's Say Anything, the theatrical emo outfit behind the cult classic Hebrews.
The album's first single, "Deathx1k," arrives with a claymation music video that renders both Williams and Bemis in stop-motion form. The track itself demonstrates how these aesthetics collide. Wavves brings its characteristically hazy guitar work and breathy vocals, while Say Anything contributes the dramatic vocal flourishes and emotional intensity that defined albums like 2004's Is a Real Boy. The video's whimsical treatment undercuts any darkness lurking in the track's title, suggesting the collaboration leans toward playful experimentation rather than grim subject matter.
This union feels unexpected given the bands' divergent trajectories. Wavves spent the 2010s refining its sun-soaked indie sound across labels like Ghostland Observatory and Fat Possum Records, while Say Anything shifted toward solo work and different creative ventures following their 2009 album Anarchy, My Dear. Yet both acts maintain devoted fanbases who appreciate their earnest approaches to songwriting, however different those approaches might appear on the surface.
Cherry Soda positions itself as a meeting point between Williams's instinct for melodic restraint and Bemis's theatrical impulses. The collaboration taps into a broader trend of mid-career artists seeking fresh creative friction through unexpected partnerships. Rather than retreading familiar ground, both musicians appear willing to stretch into unfamiliar territory.
The project arrives as indie rock continues searching for new momentum in an increasingly fragmented music landscape. Whether Cherry Soda captures lightning in a bottle or serves as pleasant detour remains to be heard, but the partnership itself testifies to both artists' willingness to take genuine creative risks.
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