Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner are Wye Oak, and The Louder I Call, The Fast It Runs is the sixth studio LP from the Baltimore band. The members took trips to each other's hometowns in the beginning stages of the album, and they gathered in home studios to flesh out their respective song sketches. The process helped produce "less second-guessing and hesitation" in making of the 12-tracker, the benefit being that The Louder I Call… can easily be considered the boldest, unapologetic project from the duo. Intricate synth layers and simple guitar riffs drive the production, and Wasner's delicate-but-resolve-filled vocals shape the radiating compositions, highlights include the title track, "It Was Not Natural," "Over and Over," and "Lifer."

• sand & sky vinyl
• printed insert w/ lyrics and credits
• gatefold sleeve
• includes album download
• music label: Merge Records 2018

reviewed by rei kwondo 04/2018