Celluloid Bachelor #20: We Are Wolves "Holding Hands"

I'm only starting to realize what a pervasive influence Kings of Leon - and especially frontman Caleb Followill's vocals - have had on a generation of indie rockers. Surprisingly, that's A-OK by me. If we could lop off the last 2-3 years from the band's history, I'd be as big a fan as anyone. And if a new band wants to come up and take a Followill approach, minus the MTV and the silly "sex on fire" and such lyrics, I'm down for the getdown.

Which brings me to the current contender. In this corner of the blogosphere, we have Québécois rockers We Are Wolves, who are about to drop their third full-length album, Invisible Violence, on American ears in early 2010.

In all fairness, the band has been in operation almost as long as Kings of Leon have, officially coming together in 2002 but with collaborations dating back to 2000. It has only really been since 2005 that the band has truly entered the indie rock conversation, when their debut full length, Non-Stop Je Te Plie En Deux, was put out by Fat Possum. Since then, though, they’ve been greedily devoured by critics and listeners like so much poutine (sorry, couldn’t resist); a critical reception that has continued through the subsequent release of Total Magicque (2007, Dare to Care) and numerous mega-festival appearances.

Invisible Violence finds the band continuing its freneticism, while somehow also feeling their oats in a luxuriating but grimy kind of way. “Holding Hands,” the first single to be released off the forthcoming album, is a barn-burner of a song, but also one that seems a bit more Alabama than Montreal. The band, on this track at least, is a bit less dancy and a bit more punk, but the kind of punk you could get your groove on to, even if you are a beardy longhair.

We Are Wolves || Holding Hands music video from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.