In a literal sense, Apologies to the Queen Mary* *has become 2005’s most essential record; shorthand for a set of qualities that defined a year considered to be indie rock’s artistic and cultural zenith. If you’ve been nostalgic for those times—and it seems like plenty are—it’s easier than ever to empathize with an already wearied Dan Boeckner when he slurs his first words on Wolf Parade’s debut LP: “I’m not in love with the modern world.” And yet, the hyperspeed production, distribution, consumption and coverage of music allows Wolf Parade to make a comprehensive “triumphant comeback” despite only taking six years off. Hell, even the release strategy of *EP 4 *is similar to the one used by the stars: the short-lead, quick drop of highly-anticipated material.
*EP 4 *is no “appointment listening", though. Its 12 minutes of new material almost immediately got overshadowed by Chance the Rapper, Brand New, new Ariana Grande singles and whatever Kanye got himself into last week. This likely worked in favor of Wolf Parade, since *EP 4 *feels ancillary to their return rather than the focus. This isn’t the sound of Wolf Parade asserting themselves. It’s Wolf Parade reintroducing themselves to each other after Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner built massive catalogs that now makes their original band a supergroup in reverse.
Wolf Parade had originally promised something with a “heavy glam vibe,” suggested Krug was taking the spiritual lead here—in all aspects, vocally, sartorially, lyrically, he’s the theatre kid in Wolf Parade and, moreover, his songs are the ones that work best with crowd participation. Turns out those reference points were simply meant to signify a leaner, more trebly and immediate version of Wolf Parade, scaling back on the thick, proggy arrangements that defined the lesser-loved At Mount Zoomer* and Expo 86.*
It’s much easier for Krug to find his “Wolf Parade mode”: he simply has to be more reined in than Sunset Rubdown, Moonface or Swan Lake, which means writing songs that are about three minutes instead of six—“Mr. Startup” and “C’est La Vie Way” are satisfying, jittery New Wave that could’ve just as easily been attributed to Boeckner. The streamlined, aerodynamic sound of *EP 4 *has much more in common with Boeckner' work in Operators, Handsome Furs, and Divine Fits.
Enjoyable as it is, *EP 4 *does seem like smart risk management, a test run that confirms that whatever the group comes up with won’t be a Pixies-style disaster. As such, the rewards are modest: “Floating World” pleasantly hovers, never aspiring to the moon launch of “Yulia.” The frenzied midsection of “C’est La Vie Way” recalls “Fancy Claps”, but only briefly before pulling back. The most instantly lovable parts are the “2005!” sonic easter eggs: the second verse of “Mr. Startup” works the hi-hat on the 2 and 4, which defined the sound of mid-2k indie rock almost as much as the word “angular.”
But EP 4 is missing the friction between Krug and Boeckner that allowed Apologies to the Queen Mary to instantly combust within Isaac Brock’s compressed production: the cadences, mannerisms and subject matter between the two frontmen are almost indistinguishable here. More likely, it’s the general sense of yearning that has yet to be rediscovered, the ambition to transcend *something *that defined not only *Apologies to the Queen Mary *but many of its celebrated peers in the Class of 2005. Maybe that will come in time: even if Wolf Parade aren’t in love with the modern world, they’re learning to live in it.
