Written by Manon Bushong

You can observe a discernible tightening within Trembler’s music over the years. Their 2019 debut was a biting display of heaviness and scorching lyricism, one that bends from post-hardcore and contemporary shoegaze to early 2000’s screamo and ambitious prog rock-esque compositions. It is potent and abrasive and beautiful and reckless and heartbreaking, and it might be my favorite record of the last decade. And yet, as they move further from the loud discordance of Trembler, the intensity they managed to cultivate in that record has only heightened. Before I wrote this, I spent about a week attempting to pin point what it is about Trembler that I find myself so incredibly drawn to. A way to articulate the feelings elicited by everything they have done; whether it be coarse contributions on a split EP with Austin-based screamo band Palefade, or the somber, wispy new single they released today. I realized what generally draws me to abrasive music is not some masochistic urge to cauterize my ear drums, but a craving for the vulnerability found in less polished art. What makes Trembler so moving is less about volume or distortion or any one sonic technicality than it is the inimitable fragility that binds their music. It is equally present in their corrosive tracks as it is in their softer work, layering a complexity to Trembler that continues to expand with each new release. Today, they shared “Wilt”; the single further proving Trembler’s ability to yield raw and poignant music regardless of what route they take.

“Wilt” is a first taste of Trembler’s forthcoming EP, Total Sorry, set to come out January 29th via Rite Field Records. The line “we wilt away” hypnotically surfaces fourteen times throughout the track, layered between a lyrical unfolding of loss, remorse and doubt. “Wilt” is subdued and unresolved; yet like most of what Trembler carves out, it is rich in its dimension, guided by authenticity rather than logic or precision. Cushioned by pale guitars that lie somewhere neutral on the spectrum of bleak to cheerful, the track’s moments of lyrical devastation are sweetened with threads of optimism and pivotal acceptance. In spite of its name, “Wilt” grows stronger with each listen, rendering a familiar story of closure you have to forge for yourself, and the consolation that comes when you do. 

About the song, Luke Gonzales shares, “‘Wilt’ deals with what it sounds like–watching something beautiful in my life die. Losing my closest friends, having my view of something that consumed so much of my life splinter and leave, and wondering whether it was hollow all along. Generally, a good representation of the central feeling I was trying to capture on this EP. It’s sad, but in my opinion, sober in its acceptance that how things were over now, in an attempt to move on.”

You can listen to “Wilt” below.