With three decades of making music together up their sleeves, the duo Wishpenny dropped their 2nd independent record Day After Dark on the 23rd of December 2023. Collaborating with Dan Seymour on bass and Mario Davidson on trombone, the couple Brian and Regina Russel embark on another journey mixing their influences with their very own creative touch as they invite us into their unique world on Day After Dark. Let me tell you more about it.
Wishpenny opened Day After Dark with warm melodies and mellow driving grooves, promising a chill, swaying record ahead right from the title track. Day After Dark has catchy expressive vocals, dynamic guitars with a deep touching tone, and killer mood-boosting conversation between the guitars, vocals, and trombone that instantly gets you moving. Glide and Cover comes next with a subtle psychedelic mood within its floating flow, creating smooth dynamic shifts that softly carry the listeners through its organic twists and turns carefully crafted with a groovy entertaining bassline and irresistible hooking chords. Wishpenny keeps pushing forward with their soothing warm sound on Better Than We Found, laying heartfelt melodies that hit deep while keeping their sincere, full-of-life vibes flowing and lifting their listeners’ spirits. Close magnifies Day After Dark’s jazzy twists with the trombone’s return and its haunting vocal melody, all alongside the Wishpenny signature guitars and groove-oriented flow that set the perfect chilling mood as we reach the center of the record. Not About Love hits next lifting the record’s dynamics again, boosting the mood, and turning the energy levels one step up. The guitar arpeggios walk in perfect harmony with the chords and are topped by charismatic sharp vocal melody, keeping the listeners on board and following every sound shift and word said, in an uplifting hypnotizing flow and clear layering where every element is well heard and understood.
Wishpenny steers towards a more raw, stripped-down sound in Escape Velocity and Step into the Sun, using a laidback straightforward structure and a great sense of melody, they created a touching mood with their emotionally authentic sound and catchy hooks to construct a bonding singalong moments that I believe would result in some amazing moments when played live. Believe ends the record on a high note with its open sound and bright melodies. It has a colorful flow with a mix of old-school rock n roll and country that lays a unique groove over its subtly energetic core, engaging the listeners in an uplifting experience and leaving them playing Day After Dark again from the top.
Day After Dark is a soulful, emotional journey carefully crafted by Wishpenny, showing off their seasoned writing skills, attention to detail, and well-knowledge of their sound and direction as they stayed focused delivering the perfect mood and vibes without compromising the record’s balanced dynamic flow and authentic sound. Looking forward to more from Wishpenny, keep on rocking guys. Cheers!
