Wussy, the band with the strange name, have returned from their six-year hiatus following the loss of key member John Erhardt. “Cincinnati Ohio” is out November 15th alongside two further EPs on Shake It Records. The aptly titled album is the first album from the five-piece since 2018’s “What Heaven Is Like”. Wussy have become known among critics and their fanbase for releasing albums of lyrically deft pop songs awash within a blanket of noise – a sound that critic Robert Christgau has described as ‘merging the Velvet Underground and the Flying Burrito Brothers’. And, in truth, this album looks like being no exception with its jangly mix of electric and acoustic guitars; the dual lead vocals of Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker and the regular rhythm section of Joe Klug and Mark Messerly as well as waves of pedal steel – this time split between the late guitarist John Erhardt and newest member Travis Talbert.
Lisa Walker states “Lyrically, I struggled for a while to get this one right. It’s a study on the minutiae of loss. The things we leave behind… the ways in which we live on, and maybe even reveal ourselves to others, after we’re gone. How something so simple and small – like an old hard drive or guitar cable – can mean so much. Realizing in one crystal moment that this thing you borrowed from someone can’t be returned, because they’re not here anymore. Creating this was part of a grieving process that I’m not – we’re not – entirely finished with, but I think working on this song helped.”
In a veritable flurry of activity the band has also released two EPs, “The Great Divide” and “Cellar Door” all are available on Bandcamp and can be ordered or preordered here.You can watch the video for “The Great Divide” below.