Review Summary: One more for the road
I’ve found all of Why Bonnie’s output thus far to be pretty good, whether it’s their string of dream pop-ish EPs or the more countrified debut LP (2022’s
90 in November), but nonetheless
Wish on the Bone feels like a real step up. This sophomore full-length is fairly short, but its eleven songs cover a lot of ground sonically. The early stages of the tracklist are dominated by grungy guitar pyrotechnics, like the opening title track, the infectious “Dotted Line”, and the rockin’ “Fake Out”, while later moments more frequently ply Americana-ish waters like the weary “Headlight Sun” or the rollicking barroom tapper “Three Big Moons”. The last two tracks, meanwhile, find the band embracing sparsely-beautiful and lyrics-based folk (“Weather Song”) and a brief but compellingly-earnest ode to moving on (“I Took The Shot”). Based on those descriptions, it may seem like there’s not much binding all these tunes together, but with repeated listens I’ve found that this album does consistently share a common core, a certain down-home lack of pretension, the grittiness of which doesn’t preclude stunning moments of beauty from peaking through. In short,
Wish on the Bone is an excellent album, whether your preference is more on the indie rock or the alt-country side.
