Polyvalent

Want

Polyvalent: an adjective in which something has different functions, forms or facets, an adjective that not only can matchlessly describe this project, but also feels rightly suiting for this group’s name.

Mark Nicks (formerly of Cool Hand Luke) and Robbie Williamson (of Quiet Science) bring us Want, their collaborative debut album as Florida-based duo Polyvalent. A product of a successful Kickstarter campaign, the album was recorded at Glow in the Dark Studios in Atlanta with production from Steven Tracy of The Myriad.

A moody and greatly ambitious album, Nicks and Williamson really took advantage of this opportunity to express their influences that didn’t necessarily fit with the vibe of their respective bands. No matter how much you adored their other groups, you will find there’s no trace of either on this album.

The dynamic in Nicks’ songwriting, though still thought-provoking and pensive, has changed so profoundly; it is, above anything else, most unexpected from what we’ve heard from him. Darker and not-that-lovely, the songs have an eerie sensation that have you feeling some sort of “honesty” is not far behind, lurking somewhere in the shadows.

I guess this is an accomplishment for these two, as their intentions were to write from more personal experiences. Want personifies a great display of emotion through the feats of not only growing and finding purpose as a human, but also the role of faith in it all.

Want certainly feels like a worthy proving ground for the concepts that will take the band into the future, and much like any album, multiple listens can only improve its worth.