Wishy is the millionth band manifesting nostalgic misrememberings of the dreamier side of ’90s indie rock. Singer-songwriters and guitarists Nina Pitchkites and Kevin Krauter went to the same Indiana high school but reconnected later, when Pitchkites moved back to Indianapolis, bonding over the Sundays and My Bloody Valentine. After releasing a self-titled EP as Mana earlier this year, the band—rounded out by drummer Connor Host, bassist Mitch Collins, and third guitarist and vocalist Dimitri Morris—changed its name to Wishy, signed to Winspear, and gained a sunkissed sheen thanks to L.A. producer Ben Lumsdaine.
The Paradise EP is Wishy’s proper introduction, and the words one might use to describe it—“My Bloody Valentine Unplugged” or “The Cardigans getting more into The La’s”—may seem like simple, hyperbolic praise for music you’ve heard before. Still, Paradise captures a uniquely Midwest approach to shoegaze, in which one’s vision is directed not down toward one’s shoes but up and out, at quiet skies and isolated fields surrounding small towns and cities where you might go hours without seeing someone outside their car. Wishy don’t need to hide away their feelings under noise: Though Pitchkites and Krauter split songwriting duties, both emphasize the kind of dreamy topline melodies that invite you to hum along. One of Paradise’s best moments comes on the opening title track, when Krauter and Pitchkites switch off lead vocals while the other joins in near-perfect harmony. As the song builds up, Krauter’s guitar riffs kick in and become Wishy’s newest and most gleeful singer, like a child running free of its parents.
The rest of the EP showcases what makes each songwriter distinct. Pitchkites wrote “Donut,” a sledgehammer of sound in which her riffs and vocals match the pent-up frustration of the lyrics. She sees all the possibilities of the open road, but her crappy car can only get her nowhere in spurts. When she moans the final chorus lyric, “I’m speeding down HOV and huffing on gasoline,” the guitars and drums are too busy dancing around her wrecked daydream to notice. “Spinning” takes a slower, mellower route to getting lost, sounding a little like The Radio Dept. with a dancey drumbeat seemingly lifted from Krauter’s old band, Hoops.
If Pitchkites is the songwriter more likely to dive in and do snow angels in the dirt, Krauter is too busy watching the sunrises that add shades of pink and blue to the morning sky. In “Blank Time,” every few seconds bring some intricate new instrumentation or melody into the mix. It’s a busy song that shows off Krauter’s guitar playing and sounds like one of his solo songs—specifically “Patience,” from 2020, leaving the impression that Wishy could have instead written something fresher to take advantage of Pitchkites’ harmonies. “Too True” is more successful: The full band feels in sync as Krauter laments a past relationship and what gets lost when we move on for the right reasons. Or something like that—on a great gazepop track, lyrical meaning is secondary.
Up till now, Pitchkites’ and Krauter’s solo releases have relied on drum machines and songwriting that can be recorded and performed within a bedroom. Their dreamlike songwriting styles gel well together, but Wishy are now working on a larger canvas, directing their newfound chemistry and focus toward playing for crowds instead of bedroom walls. Compared to the sometimes mumbly Mana EP, Paradise is also the sound of letting your real-life drummer cook. This elevates Paradise from a solid collection of songs to a promising first statement that executes a familiar sound with excellence.
