Subscribe to AltRockLive

If you can believe it, it's been four years since the debut release of Mississippi's own rock group Wavorly. Sadly thought due to limited success and one major hit the band seemingly disappeared. Yes they were around, touring with This Beautiful Republic and most recently with Hyland and Abandon Kansas, but there was an extreme lack of new material for fans who fell in love with their first album Congouring the Fear of Flight. However this year they join the ranks of After Edmund, Blindside and Falling Up as bands that have made a significant comeback with the release of the four song The EP, a solid precursor to a full length project set to be released next year.

From the opening note of Caught in the Middle it's obvious that time has been good to Wavorly. Musically there is a greater sense of cohesiveness then on their previous project. Instead of dirty, at times overpowering guitars that could drown out Steve Stovall's high tenor the listener will be greeted by clean guitars that only compliment Sovall's vocals. Stylistically the band has gone through a major change to a pop rock style they seem to have mastered, the first three tracks are excellent examples of this, specifically "Carry You" starts off slow and picks up speed as it goes. This song is also a good example of what the band can do when they slow down, a time when they are undoubtably at their best.

Lyrically listeners won't find the spiritual energy and focus found on their debut project. Instead listeners will find relationship centered lyrics, and though "Caught in the Middle" won't do much for you other tracks are filled with positive messages along the same lines. "Carry You" is an encouraging track telling the audience to take the world off their shoulders. "Take the world off your shoulders, when you can't carry on, I'll carry you." The Rock ballad "One More Try" is a fairly honest song where the singer is asking for another chance to make things right. Finally the emotionally charged "Part that Won't Let Go" revisits the hurts of our youth, past mistakes and relationships.

If this is the direction Wavorly is heading in then it's certainly a good one. The EP will certainly have fans waiting in great anticipation for their full length, as well as whatever they decide to release in the future.

Record Label: None
Album length: 4 tracks: 16 minutes, 21 seconds
Street Date: November 11, 2011