You Can Be a Wesley – Heard Like Us

Alright, so I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking right now. You Can Be a Wesley?? Yes actually, You Can Be a Wesley. That is the name of this band. And you better get used to it, because chances are You Can Be a Wesley are going finagle their way into your brain, and once that happens, it’s going to be too late. The damage has already been done.

You Can Be a Wesley hail from the wonderful city of Boston, and the band is made up of 4 members. Saara Untracht-Oakner takes vocal duties, and she is certainly a force to be reckoned with in this band. Her voice is that of a goddess – so clear and it stands out so well in the recordings that you may not even believe your ears at first listen. She is backed up by her immensely talented band mates – Winston, Nick and Dan – who all create Earth-shattering songs dominated by epic guitar licks and relentless, crashing drums. You Can Be a Wesley totally caught me off guard (I bought their LP on a whim, it was affordable I had no idea what I was getting into), and I hope they do the same for you.

“Heard Like Us” is a little over a half hour long, and it’s equally powerful and ambitious at the same time. The album kicks off on the instrumental track “6/8 Tengo”. Although it’s instrumental and you’re not getting the full YCBAW treatment just yet, this track still sets the tone for the rest of the album. It kind of hints at what’s in store for you later into the album, and they do a pretty good job with it. There’s a mysterious feeling mixed in somewhere in there between the ground-shaking bass lines. Next up would be the song “Stuck in a Battle”, and this is when full-throttle YCBAW begins.

The song starts off with a quick burst of happiness as everybody yells “Hey hey!” and there’s no looking back from there. You’re going to be a YCBAW fan shortly after. At least I think so. Saara’s voice hangs over our heads as she howls through the song, on top of hi-hat rolls and nasty guitar licks. For the last 30 seconds of the song it’s them straight up rocking out before the song comes to a close. Coming up next is the track “Kiddie Pool”, which they start out with a laid back intro as Saara continues to grace us with her wonderful voice. They kick it up right around the 1 minute mark as Saara sings “I remember it all”. This is one of the songs on the record that gives this band a sort of folk tinge, mainly due to the guitars. A bit past the midway mark and Saara is singing “Kiddie pool with a popsicle”, evoking summery childhood feelings of when you used to hang out in your backyard with your cousins without a single worry or care in the world. They continue on as Saara sings “And it stuck in my head”, possibly referring to one of her earlier childhood memories that she could never quite shake off, good or bad memories alike.

Skipping ahead to the song “Creatures”. The rhythm section kicks off this song, and shortly after they’re joined by the rest of the band. Saara then lets us know that she’s “been dreaming about creatures, coming from dunes on foggy beaches.” She claims that she’s trying to avoid them, but they just keep creeping on back. The song continues on like this for awhile until they change it up right around the 3 minute mark and they begin to pick up some momentum. They ride this momentum out until it can’t be contained anymore as Saara shrieks and the guitars and everything else comes at us full-throttle. Once that’s over they let us catch our breath again and take a step back on the intensity as the song comes to an end. Next up would be the folky goodness of the track “Make Up Your God”, which Saara urges us to do time and time again throughout the song. Her voice sways back and forth during the song – almost as if it’s riding a wave – and it’s enough to make you want to share this band with the world, hence why I’m writing this post. There are still two more songs on the album, but I’m running out of time. Be sure to listen to the songs I have for you below, this way you can decide if you feel the same way about You Can Be a Wesley. One thing we still don’t know – even after listening to the album countless times – is who the hell is Wesley? I guess that’s up for interpretation? Either way, fabulous stuff right here. Check it out below.

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock
Heard Like Us: Tracklist
1.) 6/8 Tengo
2.) Stuck in a Battle
3.) Kiddie Pool
4.) Wildlife
5.) Creatures
6.) Make Up Your God
7.) Fourth Walls
8.) Rearrange the Sea

You Can Be a Wesley – Official Website!
You Can Be a Wesley on Myspace
Download the album here!