The Wrecking

The Wrecking are all about hope. From charity work to raising awareness about special causes, this upcoming rock band (formerly known as the Kingpin Wrecking Crew) are anxious to change the world one listener at a time. With their debut album, A New Abolition, they seek to make their first in a series of moves toward saving lives and causing smiles. So what’s the verdict?

It’s not that The Wrecking don’t have their hearts in the right place; but, as harsh as it might sound, they’re just not very interesting—from vocals to production design, A New Abolition ranges from standard radio fare to below average “youth group” music, the kind kids play who want to make it big without any real vision. For instance, the opening synths of the title track, “Inside,” are turned up way too high in the mix and blast away over the vocals that—once they finally do take to the forefront—are heard as flat and whiny. It’s supposed to sound epic, but it’s pretty annoying, and I gave the track multiple listens in different stereo speakers to the same end.

Moreover, I’m far from suggesting that the lyrics are hidden gems waiting to be displayed. The sentiments are pretty run of the mill, and the rhyme schemes are so predictable, I’ll admit to cringing more than once. Again, it’s beautiful that The Wrecking want to inspire an honest relationship with Jesus Christ in the lives of their listeners; it’s their most admirable trait. The problem is, unless they manage to pull themselves out of the badly executed pop/rock mire, they won’t be leading the victory march anytime soon.

Back to the production design for a moment. Electronic beeps, whistles, synths and sound effects don’t make a band appear interesting or epic unless they manage to write music worthy of such scope. It’s true that groups like Starfield—which rely on a polished modern rock sound over simplistic/predictable worship lyrics—aren’t the kings of artistic revolution; even so, they manage to take basic ideas and stretch them over rich sonic palettes so the balance is perfect, particularly during a worship service where criticism shouldn’t delve.

The Wrecking haven’t managed to figure out what they are (a worship band like Starfield or Worth Dying For? An issue-heavy pop band like Casting Crowns? Crowd-pleasing rock stars like This Beautiful Republic or Switchfoot?), and so the whole album becomes a desperate search for identity—one which isn’t at all comfortable for the listener considering just how low the lows are. Maybe one day The Wrecking will be a musical success, but this album won’t be the one that makes them so.

It is far from over for The Wrecking; this album, even if it is their definitive first, won’t break their career as most of the material here isn’t below the standard of quality necessary for radio play or even as a supporting band on some other pop/rock group’s headlining tour. It’s interesting to note, however, that the second half of the album shifts into a sort of jazzy rock mode. There’s nothing about it that acts as a sort of saving grace to what else we hear, but haters take note: there’s definitely hope for these boys who seem intent on bringing it to others.

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