Album Review: Super Wild Horses - Crosswords

It's undeniable that Melbourne duo Super Wild Horses have done a bit of growing up in the two years since Fifteen, though while their songwriting may have matured and veered away from musings of teenage struggles, their second album Crosswords doesn't sound too far removed from their debut at all. The only apparent difference in their sound is a more obvious acuteness and attention to detail that sees the pair delve into realms of country and pop not previously explored in Fifteen.

There are no liner notes in the album – a detail that will most likely be missed by most modern-day music-acquirers. Instead, a track-list made up of obscure sentences cover the inside of the insert. “Swing the gate, an alley cat is waiting” may look like a bunch of gibberish, but this bizarre assembly of words translates to the title of the album's opening track Alligator. 

More than just a little bit of fun, the crossword clues that spell out the album's song titles are a perfect metaphor for the album's content. The heavy-clunking guitar arrangements atop drum beats that are being swallowed whole (particularly in tracks like Memphis and the more melodic West Coast) may initially sound like a blur of sounds, but when you look at the elements a little more closely, the seemingly heavy dosage of reverberated lo-fi garage is something else completely – something a lot more pop-oriented and cautiously formed that becomes revealed as the album progresses. 

Crosswords is a brilliant follow-up to their debut and bears witness to the duo's growth as musicians.