EP Review: The Wonder Years – Burst & Decay (Vol II)

The Wonder Years impress again on second lot of acoustic reworkings…

With their first Burst & Decay EP, The Wonder Years found themselves onto a pretty easy win.

Released in late 2017, it featured delicate acoustic rearrangements of songs from across the Philadelphia band’s back catalogue, and it was an idea that complemented the emotional tartness of the group’s original songwriting brilliantly. As with that first iteration, the seven reworkings on this new volume aren’t some campfire muck about, but instead are meticulous, stylish presentations. New York pop orchestra Little Kruta lend some strings to three songs, adding to the wistfulness of a skeletal We Look Like Lightning, the deep nostalgia of Passing Through A Screen Door, and the piano-driven hopefulness of Hoodie Weather.

But it’s the decision to unplug Washington Square Park and Cul-de-sac – both unruly barnburners in their initial album recordings – that gives us this record’s most daring and best reincarnations, making this a must-listen for all fans past and present.

Verdict: 4/5