Occupying a space somewhere between art rock and post-punk, the tunes on the new record from Nina Winder-Lind are bracing. The singer from The New Eves strikes out for new territory here. And Wild Love certainly offers up unique pleasures for attentive listeners.
The Patti Smith-y opener "Street Hassle" is not a Lou Reed cover but it's got a similar rough vibe. The jittery strings in "Girls" fit the tremulous vocals from Winder-Lind. The song has a dark undercurrent to it, even as the melody nearly escapes and breaks free. The tension in this single is really affecting. Both "Headfirst" and "This is Our Life" reveal big debts owed to early Patti Smith records, though Nina makes this stuff cohesive on its own terms.
There's a rough charm to lots of Wild Love. Nina Winder-Lind understands how her unique voice can fit into a piece, and nearly everything here has a complexity that is appealing. This is art rock of a sort, with a punk edge in a few places, but it's rarely boring or predictable.
Wild Love by Nina Winder-Lind is out now via Transgressive Records. Details below.
[Photo: Silken Weinberg]