ADHD

Fusing spacious electronic minimalism, shimmering guitars, and the empyrean voice of Misty Mary, Portland's WL (pronounced well) arrive at the end of 2020 with an album of lustrous, crystalline Left Coast pop that is destined to be a trusted companion during the long nights ahead. ADHD is a defining statement of purpose for the group, made during a time of personal upheaval and featuring an evocative song cycle that begs to be listened to on repeat. From the slow gallop of Show Me to the all-consuming gale that is Voices, listening to the album from start to finish is like taking an autumnal walk across one of the city's iconic bridges, a cinematic embrace that feels both protective and expansive. The album's alchemical magic is revealed through the depth of its deceptively simple song structures, with each song blooming into its own mini-cosmos. Ruminative, self-assured, and spun through with warmth, ADHD reveals WL to be in a class of their own. And if Water's On My Side isn't the most Portland of songs, we don't know what is. RIYL: Still Corners, Chromatics, Broadcast, The XX. Recorded in North Portland, 2019. Mixed By Spencer Doran. Mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk. Cover art by Jonathan McCabe. Includes download; edition of 500. WL makes the kind of music that's so visual it doesn't even need the customary accompanying video. Like the Oregon Coast, the band's atmospheric sound is vaporous and brooding. --Willamette Week ?A1. Morning?A2. Water's On My Side?A3. Show Me?A4. Mountain Home?B1. Ganzfeld Light?B2. Violet Shadow?B3. ADHD?B4. Voices