Wilder Maker

Based around the scene-setting narratives of band founder and primary songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:1amwL2JzKFxUOTjF9qo21N" data-name="Gabriel Birnbaum">Gabriel Birnbaum</a>, Brooklyn-based indie outfit Wilder Maker match the complexity of their lyrical world-building with equally intricate arrangements. The band formed in the early 2010s, with home recordings eventually leading to various incarnations of the band playing live and self-releasing projects like 2013&#39;s <a href="spotify:album:5Oy7KCmwdsEtMuUxA7NLAX" data-name="Year of Endless Light">Year of Endless Light</a> and 2015&#39;s trifecta of EPs. By that point, <a href="spotify:artist:68UA9076k6lewTq2slA1FN" data-name="Katie Von Schleicher">Katie Von Schleicher</a> was a full-time contributor, singing lead on many tracks as well as playing guitar and keyboards. In 2017 they released their <a href="spotify:album:7kJIfHZmeOsB0lhW9f4A20" data-name="New Streets">New Streets</a> 7&#34; on Saddle Creek, their most widely distributed material up to that point. The next year, their full-length <a href="spotify:album:3Ny64f5Pju2hBJ6bG0QZQn" data-name="Zion">Zion</a> was released on the Northern Spy label, featuring Birnbaum and Von Schleicher as well as guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:2hG2AHAv0Qpayp7bImSGO5" data-name="Adam Brisbin">Adam Brisbin</a>, bassist Nick Jost, and drummer Sean Mullins (<a href="spotify:artist:7DZhbT5oFjIWwwYRhTMWUV" data-name="Moon Mullins">Moon Mullins</a>). Wilder Maker continued to evolve stylistically on Zion, branching out into more expansive arrangements and performances and blending Americana and rough-edged indie rock styles. This tendency toward expansion would be amplified on sophomore album <a href="spotify:album:7kMyZK2cMY0euYAr5gMdvt" data-name="Male Models">Male Models</a>, which arrived in July of 2022. Along with several tunes featuring orchestral touches, Male Models saw the core trio of Birnbaum, Jost, and Mullins collaborating with a host of guest vocalists and musicians such as <a href="spotify:artist:0vEsuISMWAKNctLlUAhSZC" data-name="Counting Crows">Counting Crows</a>&#39; <a href="spotify:artist:36TYhtGfsNztf9qzpggEbf" data-name="Adam Duritz">Adam Duritz</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5VF0YkVLeVD4ytyiyVSIiF" data-name="Dirty Projectors">Dirty Projectors</a>&#39; <a href="spotify:artist:3uKe1tF6HSEHFFKfHgpGnj" data-name="Felicia Douglass">Felicia Douglass</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0g7sn95ZJ9iMKdmIAec3E5" data-name="V.V. Lightbody">V.V. Lightbody</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0AUwa5xmiy57qdGlOksvea" data-name="Mutual Benefit">Mutual Benefit</a>, and several others.