Warbler BC Releases Debut LP

Between quarantines and a socially transformative culture that moves at a pace unlike any other in the history of mankind, there’s nothing predictable about 2020 or the entertainment it’s produced thus far – that said, enter Warbler BC, whose debut album One might be one of the only records I’ve listened to lately to properly develop the sense of isolation this year has brought forth on all fronts. One isn’t a typical pop-rock record – it’s a rather barebones post-punk effort that rejects genre rules altogether, and even though it’s an experimental piece, it has a certain sensibility audiophiles are guaranteed to enjoy.

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The strings lend so much context to the lyrics in “Don’t Fall in Love,” “Just What I Wanted,” “Fair” and “Ulysses Song,” and I think that had their part been played by a different instrument in the folk-rock lexicon, the emotional disposition of the narratives here would be entirely different from the ground up. I get the feeling that detail is of upmost importance to Warbler BC, and while this is also true of his closest rivals in the mainstream, I can’t name a single major label act getting down to the nitty gritty quite like this one is here.

Bruce Wayne Carl is Warbler BC, and his vocal is always the centerpiece of its best moments. “Don’t Fall in Love,” “Trouble,” “Starry Gown,” even “Fair” – each of these songs was made to push a powerfully evocative singer to his limits, and whether he’s taking a conservative approach to the verse or a more liberal attitude the same, his performance in One is always one of personality, character and unadulterated honesty. I never feel like he’s putting up a front, or for that matter, trying to fit in with someone else’s idea of what an alternative singer/songwriter is supposed to be in 2020.

Even in the few instances when percussion is out of the picture in this record, the implied rhythm behind Carl’s own words is often the greatest and most physical entity in the master mix. The beat shapes the story being told in One more through distribution than a specific set of grooves that come at us dressed in different colors depending on the mood my man was in when he sat down to write this material. That’s getting the most out of your studio time, and it’s something a lot of his contemporaries could stand to learn something from when making their own albums.

With a smoky voice and some aching string play to act as his artistic trademark, Warbler BC is attempting to set a new standard in solo punk with the release of One this fall, and for me personally, he does a phenomenal job. This isn’t the simplest genre to take on when you don’t have a complete band behind you to support the songwriting you’ve got, but in this sense, the sound Bruce Wayne Carl has made for himself in this rookie performance in the studio is really all the more impressive.

Samuel Pratt