Wye Oak

Wye Oak formed as a Baltimore duo whose foundation rests on Jenn Wasner’s autumnal songwriting and the dynamic multi-instrumental arrangements supplied by Andy Stack. The pair blend introspective songwriting with vivid polyrhythmic indie rock and pop. They first appeared in 2007 and have since released a series of widely praised recordings—Civilian in 2011, Shriek in 2014, and The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs in 2018—that weave psychedelic and shoegaze textures through a classically indie rock songwriting core. In 2023 the compilation Every Day Like the Last collected previously issued singles and added three new tracks.

The project took its name from a symbolic 460-year-old tree located in their native Maryland. Wasner and Stack, performing at the time as Monarch, came together in 2006 and tracked their debut by moving between assorted basements and apartments across Baltimore before securing a deal with Merge. That label subsequently issued the 2008 album If Children, the 2009 follow-up Knot, and the 2010 EP My Neighbor/My Creator. By the arrival of their self-produced 2011 album Civilian, also on Merge, the duo had refined their approach and cultivated a loyal audience. An extended tour that followed left both members exhausted, prompting a hiatus once obligations ended. Stack then relocated to Texas, while Wasner started Flock of Dimes, an experimental outlet, and the electronic R&B duo Dungeonesse alongside songwriter and producer Jon Ehrens. When Wye Oak resumed activity, Wasner moved from guitar to bass after deciding their earlier guitar-centric method had reached its limit. The resulting fourth album, Shriek, emphasized synths and drum machines, incorporated R&B influences in place of folk elements, and was recorded at Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes before Merge released it in April 2014. Following that record, Wasner contributed guest vocals to projects by Mac McCaughan, Soft Pink Truth, and Shearwater while preparing Flock of Dimes’ debut, which Partisan Records issued in late 2016. Several months earlier Merge and the band mined unreleased material written and recorded between Civilian and Shriek, resulting in the eight-song collection Tween that documented the creative transition. A full studio return came in spring 2018 with The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs, a bright and electrifying album that pushed Wye Oak further into unconventional sonic terrain. Every Day Like the Last appeared in 2023, appending three new songs—including the warmly lit title track—to a group of previously released standalone singles.