At once confrontational and melodic, Brooklyn's the Wants make music informed by Anglophilic post-punk, the nonstop rhythms of industrial and techno, and Rust Belt grit. The band sense of political outrage is channeled in experimental and inward-looking ways on releases on their 2020 debut album, Container.
The Wants' origins date back to 2016, when singer/guitarist Madison Velding-Vandam and drummer Jason Gates began working on songs influenced by their love of Gang of Four and Autechre. Heather Elle completed the lineup, and the group refined their sound, folding elements of trip-hop, industrial, and electronic music into their post-punk foundations.
When they began recording, the Wants planned to make an EP, but the ambition of their music expanded to an album's worth of songs. Following several singles on the London-based label Council Records, the Wants issued their debut album, Container. Drawing inspiration from the post-industrial landscapes of Velding-Vandam's home state of Michigan and incorporating sonic experiments like recordings of a coffee machine and a sheet of aluminum, it was released by Council in March 2020.
