Forth Wanderers are a Midwest emo/indie rock band from Montclair, New Jersey consisting of guitarist/songwriter Ben Special, guitarist Duke Greene, bassist Noah Schifrin, drummer Zach Lorelli & lead singer Ava Trilling. Introducing themselves in 2013 off their debut EP Mahogany followed by their full-length debut Tough Love & their 2nd EP Slop, the quintet would break up in the summer 2018 after Ava had some mental health issues following an eponymous sophomore effort. 7 years later, Sub Pop Records has brought them back together for their 3rd studio LP.

“To Know Me / To Love Me” fuses indie rock & noise pop to sing about knowing what this person in mind already thinks of her & suggests that they might as well admit to her face whereas “Call You Back” returns to their signature indie rock sound advising to leave her be since she has it really badly promising she’ll return the call later. “Honey” works in a reverberated guitar melody using the condiment as a simile for watching everything slow down prior to the indie rock/post-punk revival crossover “7 Months” singing about spending weeks laying in bed & nights without any sort of sleep whatsoever.

Ava & company bring a jauntier vibe to “Spit” wanting to be told how she felt having this individual’s name in her mouth & making it an effort to get their name out of it while “Springboard” continues to delve back into their indie rock roots asking if an unspecified person likes to watch her dance for the reason being that she could get in the mood being taken piece by piece. “Make Me” shows off some minor country & blues influences singing about being lied to just before “Barnard” blends surf rock & pop wanting to forgive someone she met when she was young.

“Bluff” was the 3rd & final single to be teased during The longer this goes on’s rollout with Ava admitting it’s fucked up that she would rather leave a person lonely than have to have her deception called out while “Don’t Go Looking” finishes the album by singing about wanting what’s hers being taken from her since it doesn’t work for her anymore & suggesting it would be a waste of time if one went snooping around because of the fact all is buried deep down.

In spite of Forth Wanderers sounding more self-aware & self-assured than ever, Ben has already clarified that the band hasn’t fully reunited since they’re still figuring out what’s next whether it be more music or tours. Sub Pop Records nonetheless allows the indie rock outfit to further distance themselves from the prominent Midwest emo sound of their debut in favor of indie rock similarly to what self-titled did with the exception it’s indie emo undertones are replaced with indie pop, noise pop, post-punk revival, grunge, shoegaze, country & blues, slacker rock, dream pop & jangle pop.

Score: 4/5

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