wlots – Sempre Più CD (Engineer Records)

We have another great Engineer Records release in front of us. However, it is the older one, released back in 2019, if I can remember correctly. Still, it’s a pretty damn release that deserves to be heard by the broader auditorium. Sempre Più is a debut full-length album by wlots, released by Engineer Records and several other record labels such as Dingleberry Records, Disillusional Records, Callous Records, and Friend Of Mine Records. Engineer Records took responsibilities over compact disc production, while the remainder of the labels produced a vinyl version. Besides this full-length, the group also released a couple of singles like Lifeline, Bitter Lemon, and their latest work, Rooftop Nerves. Other than that, there is not so much information about the group shared on the web. It seems like wlots are keeping the focus on their music, which is always the best strategy.

Sempre Più contains eleven screamo compositions fully charged with sincere emotions, relentless dynamics, raw energy, anxieties, hysteria, and everything else you ever needed from a screamo band. The way how wlots balance between emotionally charged aggression and nearly calmy melancholic segments goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the album. The entire group understands the basic demands of contemporary screamo scene, but their sound also indicates an admiration towards late nineties screamo music. Therefore, wlots incorporated something for everyone but also thought about their needs as a band. Besides the sheer dominance of screamo sound, you may also hear how emo and post-hardcore scene affected their songwriting and composing. Perhaps the screamo constantly lurks around, but wlots infuse nearly the same amount of emo and post-hardcore ideas. These additional implementations are vividly hearable throughout the entire album, but they’re more subtle, delicate, and arranged to get along with the screamo aesthetics of the group.

The group continuously levitates between powerful, aggressive, energetic, screamo/post-hardcore segments and soothing, polished, calmy moments. The lead vocalist handles both sides of the band like a champ by infusing roaring screams and hysterical shouts during the aggressive parts but also offers clean, pop-punk, melodic punk rock chants when he feels it’s necessary. Guitars offer blistering, fully-distorted riffs that easily transit into more crystal clean arpeggiated chord progressions, regular chord progressions, and ear-appealing themes. The bass guitar provides thoughtfully arranged basslines that fulfill the guitar tone and support the exceptional drumming performance. You’ll solely enjoy their sincere, raw, energetic performance from scratch to finish. The compact disc is available directly from Engineer Records, while the vinyl record is available from Dingleberry Records, Disillusional Records, Callous Records, and Friend Of Mine Records. The album is also available on streaming services, such as Spotify or Bandcamp.