Wild Nothing

Wild Nothing serves as the creative alias for Jack Tatum, previously active in Jack and the Whale and Facepaint, whose musical work originated in the summer of 2009 with luminous, synth-drenched indie pop. An initial set of recordings that featured a shimmering rendition of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting" launched Tatum's focus on matching his delicate melodies to hazy, reverberant instrumentation and his soft, confessional singing style. Following a pair of albums and EPs that refined this approach to a high level of consistency, particularly with 2012's Nocturne, Tatum expanded into more refined and polished territory on 2016's Life of Pause before exploring glossy 1980s textures on 2018's Indigo. For 2023's Hold he reverted to a self-produced method that retained considerable sonic refinement.

Captured Tracks signed Wild Nothing shortly after the project's initial 2009 recordings surfaced, prompting Tatum to enlist bassist Jeff Haley, guitarist Nathan Goodman, and drummer Max Brooks for live performances. The band's debut single, Summer Holiday, appeared on the label before the year ended. Wild Nothing's first album, Gemini, emerged in spring 2010 and earned widespread critical praise. Following the late-2010 release of the Golden Haze EP, Captured Tracks reissued Gemini in February 2011, now including Tatum's version of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting."

Tatum next collaborated with producer Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room Studios, yielding the 2012 album Nocturne. A stylistically varied interim release, the Empty Estate EP, arrived in 2013. After relocating to Los Angeles and reassessing his creative direction, Tatum partnered with producer Thom Monahan on 2016's Life of Pause. Tracking took place in Sweden, where drummer John Ericsson of Peter Bjorn and John and marimba player TK from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra contributed, as well as in Los Angeles alongside Medicine guitarist Brad Laner; the album's layered arrangements and refined production represented an artistic advance.

Seeking further change, Tatum handled initial demos alone for 2018's Indigo before spending four days at L.A.'s Sunset Sound with drummer Cam Allen and guitarist Benji Lysaght to capture live takes. He then worked with producer Jorge Elbrecht to incorporate additional elements and integrate sounds from the early recordings. The resulting album stood as Wild Nothing's most meticulously arranged and 1980s-oriented effort while remaining among its most personal. Five leftover tracks from those sessions formed the Laughing Gas EP, issued in January 2020. In October 2023 Tatum released Hold, marking the first Wild Nothing album he produced entirely on his own since the project's 2010 debut.