Hold, by Wild Nothing

Hold

by Wild Nothing

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Stephen Grall This album is brilliant acoustically and lyrically, sending both direct and subtile messages through its lyrics. Highly relatable. Favorite track: Basement El Dorado.

heyseuz pristine pop production pleasantly presented Favorite track: Headlights On (feat. Hatchie).

fco.santiago.martinez Un LP especial! Sonidos que te cambian el día y lo vuelven más gratificante.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Hold by Wild Nothing on limited edition split black & milky clear vinyl. Comes with a printed euro sleeve and poster insert.

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Hold by Wild Nothing on CD

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Cassette + Digital Album
Hold by Wild Nothing on cassette.

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Full Digital Discography

10

releases

Get all 10 Wild Nothing releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hold, Laughing Gas EP, Live From Brooklyn Steel, Blue Wings, Indigo, Life of Pause, Empty Estate, Nocturne, and 2 more. , and , .

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Limited Edition Vinyl + T-Shirt Bundle
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Bundle includes the split black & milky clear vinyl and limited edition Hold t-shirt.
Available exclusively during the pre-order period.

Includes unlimited streaming of Hold via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Headlights On (feat. Hatchie) 03:40	lyrics	buy track
It’s getting late, I’m tripping in the dark My shirt draped over the moon Just trying to hold onto you I leave my headlights on I only feel like myself at night Don’t always treat you right But I don’t know how to be subtle with All the things I hate about myself You try to calm me and I turn away I always turn away I don’t know why I have to be this way I’d rather not be so hard to love I fucked it up I fucked it up again Was there even a chance I could change Or am I resolute to stay the same? I hope you’re here whenever I emerge I’m buried up to my eyes But please don’t ever stop pulling me out I’m so folded up inside of you I keep my headlights on I keep my headlights on I keep my headlights on I keep my headlights on I’m so folded up inside of you I don’t know if I’m me or you You’ve always loved me more than I deserve And maybe that’s the thing I don’t feel like I earned your faith Want to hear that I’m not too late Let’s take it back to spending every night Third floor on Engert Avenue Introduction in faded sheets I’ll always have that part of you
2.	Basement El Dorado 02:54	lyrics	buy track
I’d like to think There’s some reason for all of this suffering I’d like to believe In a life with a Disney ending And that one day I’ll shake the big hand Up there painting the celluloid Where there’s plenty of vacant apartments For the broken and unemployed There’s a shimmering Atlantis by the oil rig There’s a panoramic Heaven on the studio lot Every second that I wait Is another second I can’t wait ’Til I make it there Must be some kind of love Must be some kind of love that’ll take me there Now I take it in stride cause I know this world is just on loan So I politely start queuing up to meet my chaperone There’s a basement El Dorado in the pawnshop There’s a Shangri-La at the bottom of a landfill Every second that I wait Is another second I can’t wait ’Til I make it there Must be some kind of love Must be some kind of love that’ll take me there Won’t you take me?
3.	The Bodybuilder 04:17	lyrics	buy track
Place the bookmark I’m on a kick I shouldn’t feed Desperate for your attention To get you listening Hot air and artifice I wish I didn’t feel the need To impress you quite so much Been too long on my knees I might need a tune up Might just need to get dolled up Dying to show you A reflection of my dreams You know down there I beat my chest You know my heart rate never rests I am the bodybuilder A Nobel scientist ’Til the robin chirps ’Til my son, he stirs Balloon meets needle And I’m right back where I belong Folded corner Pacing just outside the screen Can’t say how long it’s been Here waiting for my scene I might need a tune up Might just need to get dolled up Sometimes I don’t need nothin’ Sometimes I need it all Sometimes I need it all Sometimes I need it all Sometimes I need it all Sometimes I need it all Going back for more I know just what I’m looking for Pump my ego up I’m feeling big I’m feeling smug Wish I had the sense To keep my nose clean out of it Stop the car, I’m getting out Stop the car, I’m getting out
4.	Suburban Solutions 03:42	lyrics	buy track
Wake up to a new life A yard with a fence Take a good look in the mirror We spared no expense White teeth, no circles under your eyes The baby stopped crying like we advertised Take a deep breath! Suburban Solutions has your back We’ve come to the end Put up your feet, come to the end Take a big bite! As much as you can fit We’ve come to the end Put up your feet, come to the end There’s a small monthly payment Click here to apply Change that pathetic excuse For what you call a life We love real people Real salt of the earth Now sign on the dotted line darling It’s what you deserve Take a deep breath! Suburban Solutions has your back We’ve come to the end Put up your feet, come to the end Take a big bite! As much as you can fit We’ve come to the end Put up your feet, come to the end
5.	Presidio 03:40		buy track
6.	Dial Tone 03:22	lyrics	buy track
Bored in the backseat Refreshing my feed for the hundredth time Oh dear I’m all caffeine and blood like syrup My focus fades away I don’t need to know Everything you’ve been up to I just need to hear You tell me “I want you” Love, love is a cloudy word Whenever you’re away Kissing the dial tone In your dreams I always leave you Nothing could kill me more I don’t need to know Everything you’ve been up to I just need to hear You tell me “I want you” I don’t need to know Everything you’ve been up to I just need to hear You tell me “I want you”
7.	Histrion 04:02	lyrics	buy track
At the end of the hall There’s a knock at the door Opportunity laid bare (I think I see the light) Give a hint or a clue Par cans fade to blue Will this be just what I need? (I think I see the light) Comb my hair, Dressing the part with ease Always I play the dope, Barefoot and dumb I hold my breath While the crowd is up and leaving No roses for the fool I’ve been, that I’ve been (I think I see the light) Could I ever play in time? Don’t recall a single line (I think I see the light) A big crane pulls me high By the whole of my frame The roses bursting Up from the floor of the theater stage They’re enveloping me They’re enveloping me And I cry out in joy cause I’m finally full And there’s nothing left for me to bird-dog Your voice is so bright that it’s burning my skin And then right when we touch I wake up
8.	Prima 04:27	lyrics	buy track
There’s something deep inside It’s nearly forgotten Something buried so far That I can’t control it The music rushes in my head Coursing out to my hands I never thought we’d meet again But here I am Heart full, toes bleeding The crowd a blur before my face A shadow cast upon the lake My arms stretched out spinning in place I used to walk on water There’s something deep inside Where everyone is a stranger I’m so close I can taste it Oh, don’t let me waste this The music rushes in my head Coursing out to my hands I never thought we’d meet again But here I am The crowd a blur before my face A shadow cast upon the lake My arms stretched out spinning in place I used to walk on water
9.	Alex 04:05	lyrics	buy track
I’m drifting out to the valley I can’t explain what I’ve seen Is there anyone to meet me? Is there anyone at all? I see you standing in the hallway Angels make their rounds If you thought that I could see them, Would my body fail me now? Dust me off, hold me closer It’s not so hard to believe All the voices you’ve been hearing Are the ones that help me breathe Am I a saint or a liar? You held my palm to the flame I only told you what you wanted I only told you what you wanted Don’t let me go Don’t let me go Am I a saint or a liar? It’s not so hard to believe Am I a saint or a liar? It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe
10.	Little Chaos 00:50		buy track
11.	Pulling Down the Moon (Before You) 05:27	lyrics	buy track
Angels make their rounds If you thought that I could see them, Would my body fail me now? Dust me off, hold me closer It’s not so hard to believe All the voices you’ve been hearing Are the ones that help me breathe Am I a saint or a liar? You held my palm to the flame I only told you what you wanted I only told you what you wanted Don’t let me go Don’t let me go Am I a saint or a liar? It’s not so hard to believe Am I a saint or a liar? It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe It’s not so hard to believe PULLING DOWN THE MOON (BEFORE YOU) Hear you running to the door A small voice says “wake up” So I do what I’m told Little chaos at my feet I can’t remember being so afraid to fold I can’t remember just what I thought love was (Before you) I was so certain I knew everything (Before you) I thought only of myself I’m out pulling down the moon for you to play Where’s the ceiling? There’s no pain that I won’t take There’s still so much I can’t control I know I’ll stumble, truth be told A whole existence I can hold But won’t ever weigh me down (Before you) I was so certain I knew everything (Before you) I thought only of myself (Before you) I was so certain I knew every little thing (Before you) I thought only of myself But now you’re here and so am I (Before you) I was so certain I knew everything (Before you) I thought only of myself (Before you) I was so certain I knew every little thing (Before you) I thought only of myself But now you’re here and so am I

about

Because Hold, Jack Tatum’s fifth album under the moniker Wild Nothing, was written in the aftermath of new parenthood during the pandemic, it was probably inevitable that it would be searching and existential music. But during the recording process, the artist known for synth-pop tastefulness took it as an opportunity to reach for a new sonic maximalism and wider set of influences.

With contributions from longtime collaborator Jorge Elbrecht, Tommy Davidson of Beach Fossils and Hatchie’s Harriette Pilbeam, first single “Headlights On” features an acid house-worthy bass groove and breakbeat that prove Tatum is playing for the rafters.

But that club ambiance is misdirection. “It’s a fun song, but lyrically, it’s about my wife and I going through one of the worst times in our relationship,” Tatum said. “I don’t know why, but I’ve always been so drawn to these kinds of juxtapositions and striking these balances.”

Tatum produced the rest of the record on his own, partially out of necessity, due to the challenges of the pandemic. “More than anything, this record reminded me of working on my first LP. Just truly being holed up in this room, alone with no input for such a long time,” he said. The songs were eventually brought to Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording in Richmond to begin recording drums and filling in the gaps. While largely a product of isolation, Hold also reflects the things Tatum has learned from collaborators, both on previous records and during his acclaimed work with Japanese Breakfast and Molly Burch.

The rest of the record was mixed by Geoff Swan, who listeners might know for his work with Caroline Polachek and Charli XCX. “I reached out to Geoff because I wanted to find someone that could help me make this sound as big as possible,” he said. “I've always been very inspired by and attracted to big tent ’80s acts. Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush are two of my biggest influences ever because they clearly never shied away from that kind of ambition.” Swan put Tatum’s vocals high in the mix, and throughout the album, he embraces playful vocal processing like never before.

On “Basement El Dorado,” he sings about searching for heaven in a ruined world. “It’s a little bratty, but it’s also really about genuinely wishing there was a heaven—wouldn’t it be nice?” he said. “I didn’t want to get too heavy-handed about global warming and how the world is on fire, but I still wanted to get at the idea that this is what we’ve got. At least that’s how I view it. Heaven is a place on earth, and this is all we have.”

Tatum wasn’t necessarily thinking about spirituality back in 2019 when he started playing around with songs that would eventually make up Hold, but of course, life soon intervened. Back in February 2020, he had finished setting up a home studio in his Richmond house when his son was born. Weeks later, lockdown orders went out, and the sleepless nights of early parenthood slid into an even more profound isolation.

“Bringing new life into the world drastically changes how you define yourself and what your purpose is,” he said. “Before, I wrapped up so much of myself in my music and all of it, the writing, the traveling. That was really who I thought I was. The double whammy of having a kid and not being able to do that anymore—it exposed a lot about what is important to me. It made me understand much better why people gravitate to divine beliefs or why it feels so good to attempt to have an answer.”

Without eschewing the atmospheric avant-pop of his main influences, his existential moment did open a few new windows. “Early pandemic when my son was still an infant, one of the few things that I oddly found really calmed me down was dance music. I had so many sleepless nights awake with my headphones on, my son in his little sleeping pod next to me. Meanwhile I’d be listening to Underworld. Somehow it set my brain right”.

It’s hard to break new ground when writing about parenthood, but on Hold, Tatum leans into its exaltant mundanity and approaches the big questions obliquely. The baby is wide awake, the car is easing down the road, people are checking their reflections in the mirror.

Tatum moved from Los Angeles back to his home state of Virginia about five years ago in search of a scaled-back lifestyle. The relatively suburban environment—and the occasional regret it inspired—proved to be great artistic fodder. “You can make a big decision and be fully committed to it, know 100 percent that it’s the right choice and still have these moments of “Did we fuck up? Was this really the best thing for us to do?””

It’s the paradox of modern America—the suburbs are supposed to be stultifying to art, but they are so full of human desperation perfect for dramatizing. On “Suburban Solutions”, he presents an anti-jingle with an acidly bright synthesizer melody, imploring you to sign on the dotted line, put your feet up, and embrace sweet oblivion.

Adding to the song’s menacing cheeriness is a chorus-sung bridge, made with assistance from Molly Burch and Tatum’s wife, Dana, It was loosely inspired by the classic Martika song “Toy Soldiers” and the long-ago pop craze for children’s choirs, and he embraces the trend’s less-than-stellar reputation. “What’s so wonderful about being someone who is borderline obsessed with 80s music and is making music in 2023 is that I didn’t live through it. So I have no skin in the game about what was cool or not at the time.”

By design, Hold dwells in uncertainty and fear, but in a package that encourages meditation and some levity.

“In the face of the pandemic, I think being a parent really forced my hand,” Tatum said. “I felt that I had no other choice but to have a positive outlook on the world. Because if I were to give in at any moment and say, "Oh, everything is horrible,” then I’ll feel as if I’ve lost and I’ve given up on my son being able to thrive in this world.”

credits

released October 27, 2023

All songs produced and written by Jack Tatum
Recorded in Richmond, VA at Montrose Recording & Empty Estate
Mixed by Geoff Swan (2-11) & Jorge Elbrecht (1)
Engineered by Adrian Olsen
Mastered by Robin Schmidt
Art and Layout by Ian Miller
Photography by Ethan Hickerson

Molly Burch - Backing vocals on 4
Drew Carroll - Additional engineering on 2
Pinson Chanselle - Drums and percussion on 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 & 11
Steven Chen - Saxophone on 1
Daniel Clarke - Piano on 3 & 11
Tommy Davidson - Drum programming and additional production on 1
Jorge Elbrecht - Additional production, keys and guitar on 1
Becca Mancari - Backing vocals on 2
Harriette Pilbeam - Backing vocals on 1
Calder Tatum - Leaves on 11
Dana Tatum - Backing vocals on 4
Jack Tatum - Vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer, piano, drum programming

Special thanks to Dana, Calder, my parents and sister, Jeff Haley, John Chavez & all the members of Wild Nothing past and present.

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about

Wild Nothing Blacksburg, Virginia

Ask Jack Tatum what ‘Wild Nothing’ means and he’ll answer: ‘a contradiction’. In 2010, 21 year old Tatum released one of the finest cult pop records of the summer whilst ensconced in his senior year of college in Blacksburg, VA, a small mid-atlantic town better known for producing football fans and engineers than musicians. Tatum lives in contradictions. ... more

discography

Hold

Oct 2023
Laughing Gas EP

Jan 2020
Live From Brooklyn Steel

Sep 2019
Blue Wings

Jan 2019
Indigo

Aug 2018
Life of Pause

Feb 2016
Empty Estate

May 2013
Nocturne

Aug 2012
Nowhere

Feb 2012
Golden Haze

Oct 2010
Gemini

May 2010

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