Album Review: Wrench by Flycatcher
by Liam M. Hennessey To say that Alternative Rock/Indie is my favorite genre is a major understatement. It’s no coincidence that both my 2025 Single of the Year (“I Hope This Email Kills Us Both” by Orange Blossom Trail) and my 2025 Album of the Year are both solidly Alt Rock. While I may have initially started out arranging EDM shows, and have organized shows in several different genres, ranging from Rap/Hip-Hop, to Metal, to my current flagship genre Punk/Hardcore, Alt Rock/Indie has always been my main muse. It’s with that preface that I stress there was little to no competition that would have challenged this LP’s status as my pick for Album of the Year (Though “The American Way” by SuperGold absolutely does warrant an honorable mention in this discussion).
To give a brief summary before getting into the nitty gritty, it’s perfect. The writing, the performances on the record, the production, are all flawless. This record juggles the fine balance of slick produced power pop rock and genuine grit that hasn’t been as well captured in my opinion since Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. As long as I'm pointing out comparisons from giants of the genre, this release much like “Siamese Dream” could feasibly have released every single track on it as single in its own right. It’s everything you’d want in an Alt Rock record.
The record begins with “Fault Line” and doesn’t waste any time at all in establishing its tone, which is consistent throughout the record. The guitars are layered in a parfait of effects that deliver a tone that most guitarists would sell their first-born to achieve. The bass complements the guitar in such a fashion to help build an immense wall of sound that envelops the listener to the point of immaculate immersion. The drums kick through the mix just enough to give the wall of sound a shape, and to guide the pace of the tracks. On top of an instrumental section that would carry the most mediocre of vocalists, Gregory Thomas Pease excels, delivering his signature raspy croons while not compromising his ability to nail clean high notes. Each vocal stanza is conveyed with an emotional rawness that, much like I mentioned earlier about the record as a whole, still manages to balance perfectly that rawness with a polished tone. His vocals are what I imagine lullaby's sound like in a beehive, and I can’t get enough of it.
The following track, “Truth” one of the five singles released in promotion of this record, is a meditation on inner peace and reality's blunt role in the process of finding it. Gregory sings here asking whether learning to let go will bring him inner peace or if it's a foregone conclusion. While spending more time than he cares to remember waffling on this issue, the only thing that's remained consistent for him is that truth is all that he's managed to find, whether he likes it or not.
The track after, “Down”, another one of the singles released, is a reflection on being down and out in life, and the nostalgia for simpler times that often comes when life is like that. Most of the heavy lifting here emotionally speaking is done with the tone of the actual musical content. The vocals have an air of detached depression in the verses, with an explosive and cathartic belting in the chorus. Not much to say here other than to comment on a running theme of excellent sonic execution of the concept at hand. It’s the most straightforward track on the record.
“Flood”, the following track, is yet another one of the singles released in promotion of this release, and probably my favorite of the bunch. It’s easily the catchiest hook of the bunch for sure, with the chorus smacking you in the face with an earworm you’ll be humming to yourself for weeks after your initial listen. The vocal layering is great on the entire album, but really shines here the most in my opinion. Everything on this track shines just a little bit brighter than the rest of the LP, on what's already about as close to a perfect album I’ve heard in ages.
The track the LP is named for, “Wrench”, is more laid back than prior tracks on the album, giving the reader more of a chance to breathe. The Lead guitar drives it forward probably more than most tracks thus far as well, with most of the structure based around what it's doing even more so than the vocals. Lyrically, it shares a similar theme to “Truth”, in that it’s more or less about persistence. Though instead of the truth persisting in the face of everything, it's about the narrator trying to hold on no matter what, to hold on like a wrench.
"Man on the Run” is where the acoustic guitar gets its first introduction on the record, and does so to compliment the lead guitars main hook. This is probably my favorite of the tracks that didn't get the honor of being a single, and I’m honestly not quite sure why, especially since its the only track on here that has another artist, Brianna Collins, featured on it. Its chorus is catchy and minimal, truly embracing the philosophy that less is more, letting the guitars hook shine in contrast for the chorus. Brianna Collins also offers a nice contrast to Greggory’s gritty vocals and are angelically soft in comparison. By the end of the track, all the prior parts meld together into one fabulous quadlibet. While not a single, it’s one of my favorite tracks on the project altogether.
Up next is “Dissolve”, the second to last single in the order of the track listing. It deals with a nagging feeling that just won’t go away, or as the track puts it, dissolve. Much like the rest of the tracks before it, it gets right back to an electric pace and is a fast-paced emotional musing. Given the narrator's frantic state of mind, the shoe most definitely fits here. Flycatchers' tendency to play with tension via dynamics hits hardest conceptually here.
“Watergap” is entirely acoustic driven, with no other instrumentation accompanying the acoustic guitar and vocals. Referring to the “Nevermind” comparison I made earlier, this would be the most akin to “Polly”. It lets simple but effective songwriting take center stage. It’s somber, serene, and nostalgic. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes an indie campfire classic within a few years.
“Brother”, the last of the singles released for this album, is also the last raucous rocker track on the LP. Much like an older brother's taste in music, it sounds the most like it would be found on the radio in 1997. It's a deeply earnest song, coming off as heartfelt without being cheesy. Anyone that has or had an older sibling they're fond of growing up will appreciate the sentiment the track is laying out here. It evokes a sense of nostalgia that would be best compared to the feeling of finding an old gaming console collecting dust in a closet that logged many hours of family bonding in its day, like a PS2 or N64.
The final track “Super Bowl” ends the album off with a certifiable ballad. The soft clean high notes sung on this track are some of my favorites on the entire record. Dripping with melancholy, it focuses on the arbitrary and often cruel nature of sentimental memory. Something like the Seattle Seahawks horrible decision to throw it on the 1-yard line back in a Super Bowl over 10 years ago can stick in one’s memory as clear as day, but something much more important like the color of a former loved ones eyes can fade into obscurity in the back of one's mind with ease. It also touches on the arbitrary nature that sentimentality can play when trying to decide to move on or not, when one’s heart is in limbo. When you want to miss someone but don't know where to begin, let alone how, or if that's even the right thing to do, this is the perfect soundtrack for your solemn contemplation.
All in all, “Wrench” is a superbly made Alt Rock record in every sense of the word that will make most any listener wanting more. As they wrap up their tour, of which included Warped Tour appearances along the way, I can’t help but to be remarkably excited for what's to come from them in the years ahead. When asked for comment about what fans were to expect next, this what they had to say;
“We’re gonna be on the road a lot this year trying to bring Wrench to as many places as possible. We’ve been so stoked on the reception to the record so far and we can’t wait to see where it takes us in 2026”
Much like my Single of the Year for 2025, I only reserve the best projects for such a title of my 2025 Album of the Year. I also give this album a rare but well-earned 10 out of 10.
