In 2018, New Jersey five-piece
Forth Wanderers landed on the greater indie rock scene with a self-titled debut issued by the revered
Sub Pop label, which helped amplify the band's melodic, angular, and angsty tunes. The album's track list was rock-solid, and although it didn't break them onto the bigger album charts, it did make fans of many critics and indie kids alike. It was unfortunate, then, that the band canceled a planned tour in support of the debut that included some plum festival dates, citing a newly diagnosed mental-health issue later revealed to be singer/songwriter
Ava Trilling's panic disorder.
Trilling and guitarist/co-songwriter
Ben Guterl didn't meet up again until the summer of 2021, when, after catching up for hours in Brooklyn,
Guterl asked
Trilling if she wanted to try making music again. Feeling less pressure under the current circumstances, she said yes, and the original lineup eventually reconvened in the studio. This backstory informs much of the band's
Sub Pop-issued sophomore album,
The Longer This Goes On. It captures
Forth Wanderers working more collaboratively this time around and experimenting with various styles, tempos, and moods. Having said that, it's nothing if not another set of prickly indie rock bangers, but it's one that roves into druggy psychedelia ("To Know Me/To Love Me"), surfy retro rock ("Honey"), country-rock (¿Spit¿), and slinky bass-interlude music ("Make Me"). A track like "Barnard" is unadulterated noise pop, and the comeback ditty "7 Months" is a skittery indie rocker that shows off
Trilling's effortless way with rhythmic wordplay ("You'll stick with me babe/You know I got aw huh, aw huh"). Irresistibly off-balance and hooky, the under-half-hour album affirms that the band's charisma is no worse for wear. ~ Marcy Donelson
