Wolves At Bay – Dissolve

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The first new taste of music in more than ten years from Connecticut post-hardcore band, Wolves At Bay, showcases the band’s sense of urgency in re-capturing the magic from their earlier material. Dissolve is an eight-song album that adds in some textural and electronica sounds to round out the band’s attack and approach to their songwriting. Wolves at Bay shared: “This chapter marks a true rebirth. The connection between us has only grown stronger with time, and that bond is felt in every chord and lyric. Dissolve isn’t just about returning—it’s about starting again with purpose.” By putting a strong step forward in their “rebirth”, Wolves at Bay waste little time in returning to the rock scene at full speed ahead.

After a brief instrumental track, called “Overture”, that sets the mood for the entire album, Wolves at Bay quickly find their footing on songs like “See Myself Out” that incorporate heavy-hitting drums with vibrant guitars, and a newer orchestral sound backing their musical attack. The vocals are smooth in their approach, with a style similar to Matchbook Romance, while adding in occasional screams to evoke the right emotions in the track. The heavy synths of “Pale/Blue” are reminiscent of bands like NIN, while Wolves at Bay’s songwriting improvements come through nicely in their approach to the song. The melodic breakdown in the chorus are sure to make you feel something, and the band picks the right spots in delivering their heavy lyrical material.

Ballads like “To Grow Together” hit their intended target with ease, and it feels like Wolves at Bay have never lost a step from their last work of 2014’s When I’m Dead EP. The sweeping orchestral parts help with rounding out the wall of sound that the band leaned into on this release. “Cover, Connecticut” takes a personal look into Wolves at Bay’s hometown in a song about not always being in control of our own destiny. After a brief song of “(The Forest)”, Wolves At Bay save their vibrant single of “Guilt Cycle” towards the end of the record to reward the listeners who have taken this well-earned journey with them. The cameo from Jonah Matranga of Onelinedrawing helps with the storytelling found on the song, as it deals with different points of view in dealing with the emotion of guilt.

The record closes out with the title track that does a nice job of rounding out the stylistic choices made throughout Dissolve. The lyrical material ties a lot of the song titles together, like “(The Forest)” to highlight Wolves At Bay’s holistic approach to their music. Overall, it’s a strong showing from the post-hardcore band that continues to impress on their return to the music scene.

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