Jacob Slater’s ‘Pinky, I Love You’: A heartfelt solo debut from the Wunderhorse frontman
Minimalist, heart-wrenching — but still a masterful Slater album to wrap yourself up in again and again.
★★★★☆
Photo: Gabe Dreschler
It’s been less than a year since indie darlings Wunderhorse released their debut album Cub – an album that has since become a staple in the diets of critics, musicians and music lovers alike.
As a result, frontman and principal songwriter, Jacob Slater, now feels it’s the right time for his solo album Pinky, I Love You to be released under his own name. And true enough, here is an album that captures the musical brilliance at the very heart of Wunderhorse, but with a minimalist twist.
Slater’s knack for captivating listeners from the first to last note remains, but now his storytelling genius is delivered through modest composition and low fidelity production. With the majority of the stripped back collection simply featuring vocals and guitar, this isn’t Slater trying to emulate the grittiness of his work in Wunderhorse, but is instead a storyteller opening his heart to express the feelings that are hidden in its lowest depths.
It makes sense then for the album to begin with the lyrically romantic One For The Pigeons. Establishing a theme that floods the rest of the record, Slater softly introduces the breathtaking vulnerability that authenticates every word he sings throughout the 8-track release: “Your love’s a language beyond words / I just wanna die with you in my arms…”. Yet, these romantic sentiments are quickly moulded into sombre reflections as Slater conveys the loneliness that can accompany the desire for appreciation in I Do.
Skilfully creating a cinematic soundscape with what seems like so little in a world full of noise, Slater guides the listener through scenic tales of loss and heartbreak one after the other. Forced to absorb every emotion, the listener experiences the overwhelming feelings of abandonment that are articulated in Dead Submarines, as well as the feelings of hurt and confusion that are expressed in lead single Kissin’ Booth. So much so that they can feel stuck at times as they listen to Slater forcefully poking the open wounds from his life, time and time again – particularly in tracks like Untitled where the singer brings a brief moment of crushing momentum with devastatingly raspy vocals.
Yet, whatever the inspiration and influences behind these truly absorbing and compelling tracks, Slater has again without doubt positioned himself as a generational songwriting talent on Pinky, I Love You. Playing heartstrings as well as he plays guitar, he continues to show the boundlessness of his raw musicality, as well as his skill in hitting the tender, emotional core of a story. And despite its minimalistic soundscape, the album packs a real punch, leaving the listener hanging onto every note, covered in goosebumps and prepared to go through the gut-wrenching heartbreak over and over again.