Following an EP from 2014,
Wriggling is the first full-length album from singer and songwriter
Abi Reimold. A member of the Philadelphia indie music scene, she made her living as a photographer while writing and recording shortly after college, referring to music as a passion project rather than a career ambition. Friend and drummer Scott Stitzer of local indie rock group Mumblr produced the album, which is notable for its raw, seat-of-the-pants character. Also bearing the wounds of quite personal lyrics, it's a singer/songwriter sort of work that's expressed in volatile guitar rock instead of acoustic bedroom confessions. The opener "Arranged" begins with a quiet, melodic phrase on electric guitar before
Reimold talk-sings "Little bumps that grow on skin and don't let other people in." She adds, in reference to love, "Compartmentalized it in my brain/Since no one ever feels the same" before the songs breaks open with churning guitars and drums. Tracks like "Feed" and "Sugar" likewise have sharply contrasting volumes within each song. Feedback, dissonance, and good old-fashioned noise enter and fall away again to expose
Reimold's wearier side, which can recall the quiet intensity of
Angel Olsen. A few of the more even-keeled tracks include "Trap," the surprising cabaret entry "Vessel," and "Won't Clot," the album's atmospheric closer. Even through these tracks,
Wriggling seems designed to take listeners out of their comfort zones, from the literal can of worms on the cover to the music's simmering potential to explode at nearly any moment. In the end, the chaotic tunes aren't as memorable as they are cathartic, but that alone makes a lasting impression. ~ Marcy Donelson