Wwiii

Wwiii

If you have a soft spot for bands like The Jags or The Nerves, Ottawa’s White Wires will help you get your power pop jangle on. Though truthfully, White Wires have more of a punky Ramones sting to them, and on their third record in four years the trio continues churning out songs that are short, sticky, and as much fun as stomping at the prom in Doc Martens. Ian Manhire’s voice is immediately memorable and likeable, and his delivery evokes both the playfulness of Mr. T Experience’s Dr. Frank and the heartfelt tug of classic power popper Bram Tchaikovsky. Guitars are jagged and sharp, skidding and skipping with amped-up giddiness, bass lines pumping and thrumming high in the mix, and drums furiously hitting their mark. From ridiculously hooky songs like “Let’s Start Over Again” to more incendiary tracks like “Down on My Own” and “All Night Long,” there’s a palpable melancholy that puts the pop slightly ahead of the punk here. A handful of tunes—such as “Everywhere You Were” and “And Then You Told Me”—are unabashed in their melancholy, though they do it with remarkable garage-scented, grease-and-leather ooomph.

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