Wild Pink

Wild Pink shapes its warmly reflective indie rock around the understated voice of frontman and primary songwriter John Ross. The band issued its self-titled debut full-length in 2017. For the more expansive third album, 2021’s A Billion Little Lights, the group brought in additional session players and Grammy-winning engineer David Greenbaum. Ross’s recovery from cancer surgery shaped the textured, introspective tone of the quartet’s fourth LP, 2022’s ILYSM. Departing from that path, the 2024 release Dulling the Horns became the band’s rawest and most dissonant statement to date, capturing unvarnished live takes and effects-pedal textures while remaining rooted in contemplative territory.

Ross assembled Wild Pink in New York alongside bassist T.C. Brownell and drummer Dan Keegan. Following an initial two-track release, the trio made its label debut with the June 2015 EP Good Life on Texas Is Funny Records. That effort secured a deal with Tiny Engines, which put out the 2016 EP 4 Songs. The self-titled debut album arrived on the same imprint in early 2017. The band then co-produced its sophomore effort with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh), resulting in mid-2018’s Yolk in the Fur. March 2019’s 5 Songs marked the final Tiny Engines release.

The more ambitious third album, A Billion Little Lights, was produced, mixed, and co-engineered by David Greenbaum (Beck, Jenny Lewis) and featured contributions from friends and session musicians. Issued in early 2021 on Royal Mountain Records, it was succeeded by the EP 6 Cover Songs, which presented Wild Pink’s renditions of material by Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, and others.

Six months into sessions for the fourth album, Ross received a cancer diagnosis. After undergoing surgery to remove lymph nodes, the band finished the record. Released in October 2022, ILYSM found Ross reflecting on his illness through a more layered yet stripped-back approach. Co-produced once again with Pizzoferrato, the album included guest spots from J Mascis, Yasmin Williams, Samantha Crain, and others, along with the single “Hold My Hand” featuring Julien Baker.

Seeking a new direction, Ross and the group returned to Pizzoferrato in mid-2023 aiming to approximate the immediacy of their concerts. They tracked Dulling the Horns live in one room, favoring quicker tempos and guitar distortion while retaining occasional synths, violin, and pedal steel; studio gloss was deliberately avoided. The album title served as a metaphor for the grind of the music industry rather than any sonic reference. Issued in October 2024 on Fire Talk, it marked the band’s first release for the label.