The Wind-ups is the brainchild of the multitalented Jake Sprecher, who either played or still plays in Smokescreens, Terry Malts, and Jonathan Richman. Sprecher made good use of his Covid-induced boredom by purchasing a TASCAM 388 and recording a new solo bedroom-project as The Wind-Ups. The result is Try Not To Think, a 19 minute powerpop masterpiece disguised as lo-fi garagepunk record. In anticipation of the release, we asked Sprecher to share 5 albums that influenced the record. He agreed and then came up with what arguably is the most surprising lists we had on the site so far. And although the list tells you absolutely nothing about the sound of The Wind-Ups, it does offer a peak into how passionate Sprecher is about music and how broad and varied his tastes are.
It makes it all the more surprising how blunt and direct the songs on Try Not To Think sound. Don’t take that for simplism though. In truth, it takes skill to write songs that are this straightforward and yet so memorable. Of his previous bands, The Wind-Ups is sonically nearest to the early Terry Malts stuff, but a tad louder and slightly slower paced. My favorite part of Try Not To Think is probably the middle. Starting with Cat In The Hat, there is a group of six or seven songs that are all extremely short (most are sub 90 seconds) and insanely infectious. It’s in this part where The Wind-Ups relentlessly pile up hit upon hit. By the end of the record, The Wind-Ups leave you wanting more. Fortunately, Sprecher has already recorded half of the follow-up album, but that’s for another time. Try Not To Think is out today at Mt. St. Mtn.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Mt.St.Mtn || Midheaven
[note: this post contains parts from our Gimme 5 post with Jake Sprecher.]