Summer is starting soon, which means we’re due new music to blast when we’re enjoying summer, or trying to distract ourselves from the inevitable heat that’s gonna come to our desks and homes. To end spring off, we have Wild Heaven kicking off summer with a new release, their new album “I Need You” is out now and it is the vibe we need this season.

Before we get into why you need to listen to this album, here’s a background of Wild Heaven, an Austin, Texas-based alt-rock band that will no doubt capture your attention with this new album. They have been described with many words, mainly adjectives reminiscent of 90s female led rock groups, labeled a sort of modern riot grrl group, a title very fitting of their image and unique sound. Their goal being, ultimately, to make the voices of women in a modern society heard, using their music as an outlet to let out a frustration of the censorship, limitations, and barriers that women and minorities face. Like all new music and reviews, I am very excited to share this new music with you all and hear what you think.

This album consists of 10 songs, 2 are previously released albums that I will let you review on your own, we’d love to hear your thoughts on it. The other 8 songs, however, you will hear my thoughts on. We open up with ‘What You’re Looking For’ which they released back in March of this year, followed by a new song titled ‘Nicely’ which is the anthem for asking for something nicely, like the title states. Following their theme of expressing the struggles of women, this song is an introduction to the use of their art medium as a voice for women and the various struggles faced, such as having to be nice. The third song on their tracklist is ‘The Way I Am’ which was previously released. I won’t give any spoilers for this fan experience, but I will comment on the fourth song, ‘My Prowess’, this song is about taking over your confidence, and loving for the sake of loving, instead of for the need of validation. Much like ‘My Prowess,’ the following song, ‘Control’, is about feeling out of control when you meet someone, a feeling we later reflect on and wish to change.

The second half of this album begins with ‘Culture Warlords’, which is a little different than the first half of the album, this song is seemingly about censorship, the need to have a right and wrong, a sense of structure, which many of us can see with today’s modern issues and the way social media controls what we see. Then, we have ‘Edge of Over’ which talks about the guilt of not being a ‘lady’, the feelings we face, as humans, that are frowned upon and make us feel like we messed up. Truly, this is one of the songs in this album that made me feel seen and understood, I feel many of you would appreciate this message. ‘Another Day’, the following song is very different as well, showing a range of capabilities for Wild Heaven. I would go as far as to say this is my summer 2024 anthem, keeping it as a reminder that no matter how I feel one day, there’s “always another day.” I was very excited for the next song on the tracklist because of the title, and it did not disappoint, ‘Hopeful Romantic’ is the anthem for those who have constantly given up on love and then suddenly find themselves once again being a hopeful romantic when they find what they were looking for. Finally, to close off the album, we have ‘I Need You’, and while this one is seemingly more emotional and mellow, it still goes on theme for their expression of passion in their experiences. This final song is an ode to wanting someone to see how much they have changed, a human experience we all must face, missing someone with no way to let them know that you’re not the same person they got to experience.

Overall, this new album will have you feeling understood, seen, and represented, the transparency to Wild Heaven’s views is refreshing and the mentality I encourage us all to have as we enter a relaxing summer. “I Need You” by Wild Heaven is out now on all streaming platforms and we can’t wait to see what you all think! Wild Heaven may just be starting their releases, but we can’t wait to see where they go next.