Wohn Release Eagerly Anticipated EP ‘Fire Smoke Ahses’
Born in 2019 out of Northern Irelands prolific North Coast post-punk scene Wohn began carving out their own sound, taking influence from the jagged beauty of the surroundings and sculpting that into something entirely themselves. This juxtaposition of elements runs throughout their debut EP ‘Fire Smoke Ashes’ often pairing flannel-soaked distortion against jangle indie pop or a gently strummed progression against a wall of gazey fuzz. It’s this witches brew that gives Wohn their own voice and scream, making them one of Northern Irelands most exciting up and coming bands.
‘Crushing choruses and emotional thunderous vocals’
Chordblossom
The band spent 2020 and 2021 honing their sound with a slew of singles that were nominated for the NI Music Prize. These caught the sharpened ears of Chordblossom, Alt77 and renowned shoegaze blog Static Sounds, as well being championed by BBC Ulster’s Across The Line. Their new EP finds Wohn at their most confident and produces their most fully realised sound yet. Title track ‘No Shelter’ was released as a single in September 2022, a furious spikey grunge attack that would easily sit amongst the iconic Sub Pop 200 compilation. Driven forward by Dylan Norton’s relentless drums, you can practically hear his sticks splintering throughout the track. A staccato verse gives way to a huge soaring chorus that drips in apathy and self-doubt. John Wisener’s refrain of ‘Much too young/I’ve been stung’ speaks to the omnipresent feelings of confusion and listlessness, this is balled up and expelled as a cathartic scream that brings the song to its crushing crescendo.
‘What grunge might have sounded like today’
Alt77
‘Honey Bubba’ shows us that Wohn aren’t afraid to explore a wider sonic template than everything cranked to 11. The interplay between Reece Gordons intricate bassline and John’s guitar playing gives the verses a distinctly jangle pop feel, this blossoms into an expansive chorus that feels massive without having to double stomp the fuzz and distortion pedals. This means when they do kick in the dirt it feels all the bigger and heavier for it. ‘Honey Bubba’ finds the band opening up and bringing more of their shoegaze, post rock and even disco influences to the fore. The track cuts it’s way through the valley finding its own way home, never returning to the original verse/chorus but takes us on a journey that breaks our necks, lifts us blissfully into euphoria and eases us back down for ‘Fire Smoke Ashes’. Lyrically it deals with the bitter pill to swallow that things aren’t working out just as planned and confronting that head on, this difficult position is given a counterpoint in the music, which is ultimately the saving grace.
‘Choruses that take off heavenwards’
Static Sounds
The softly strummed intro and smooth bass of ‘Fire Smoke Ashes’ seem to conjure a hundred hazy rooms cut across by the uninvited sun light, creeping through the curtains marking the end of another misspent night. This is given purpose by Dylan’s shuffle and Johns wanting, disaffected vocal, carrying a Mellon colic melody while running from the pressures and expectations of modern life. As John intones ‘And I can’t stretch my indecision/To help me think up, something bigger’ the song breaks and gives way like one of the many waves hitting the jagged North Coast shoreline. A mix of thick fuzzy and astral guitar notes elevate the track before easing us down and leaving us right back where we started.
‘No Shelter’ covers so much ground in it’s 3 tracks that it is exhaustive in the best possible way in its exploration of ideas. This is what sets Wohn apart from their other Seattle influenced contemporaries, not willing to simply follow a tried-and-true format they’re a band willing to reach back into their record collections and pull out everything from the Gap Band to Zeppelin to Sonic Youth and anything else in between. Crashing waves, jagged coastlines and echoes on empty beaches gave way to driving bass, euphoric guitars and thunderous drums. All given the lighting rod of John’s vocals that carry those echoes out in front of countless crowds in countless sweaty rooms, where we all find shelter.