| Wild Child | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Origin: | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Genre: | Indie pop |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
| Current Members: |
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Wild Child is an American indie pop band from Austin, Texas formed in 2010. The band consists of Kelsey Wilson (lead vocals and violin), Alexander Beggins (lead vocals and baritone ukulele), Sadie Wolfe (cello), Tyler Osmond (bass), Matt Bradshaw (keyboard and trumpet), Cody Ackors (guitar and trombone), and Tom Myers (drums).[1]
Wilson and Beggins met while touring as back-up musicians for a Danish indie act called The Migrant. They began writing songs together in the backseat of the tour van and found they worked very well as a songwriting team. Both had just been through the end of relationships, which provided both common ground and writing material. Beggins had brought a ukulele from his father's instrument collection simply because it was small enough to comfortably pass around in a van (Beggins played accordion with The Migrant). By the end of the tour the two had written several songs and began recording their first album upon their return to Austin. To complete the sound they were seeking, they called in other local musicians and friends to help record, which eventually became the full Wild Child band.[2]
Their self-recorded first album, the 15-track Pillow Talk,[3] was released on October 25, 2011[4] (with help from San Francisco producers Evan Magers and Alex Peterson, and mastered by Erik Wofford). The album was received positively on many blogs and yielded a number one single on the music promotion site The Hype Machine.
Their second album, The Runaround, was released on October 8, 2013 via The Noise Company and produced by Ben Kweller. Kweller liked the band's debut album and sought out the band seeking to produce their sophomore effort.[5] The album was funded in part through a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised over $40,000. It was recorded in January 2013.[6]
The first single from the album, "Crazy Bird", was received extremely positively, reaching number one on the music promotion site The Hype Machine,[7] debuting number one the FMBQ SubModern/Specialty charts,[8] and being featured on World Cafe.[9] Reviews for the album were positive, including a rating of 8/10 from PopMatters.[10] The song "Living Tree" was named in the 'Top Ten Songs of 2013' by NPR.[11]
The band began recording their third album, Fools, in the fall of 2014 in Savannah, Georgia. The remainder of the tracking was finished in late December 2014. When the band returned to Austin they enlisted Atlantic Recording Artist Max Frost to produce the track "Break Bones", and local producer Chris "Frenchie" Smith to mix the album.[12] The band signed with Dualtone Records in April 2015 after A&R Will McDonald caught the band's set at South by Southwest the month before.[13] Fools was released October 2, 2015 worldwide via Dualtone Records and via Dine Alone Records in Canada.[14] The album was met with strong critical reception, praised by most critics as a "step out" for the band as they continued to grow their sound and toy with more pop arrangements.[15] Fools reached #18 on the Americana/Folk chart and #14 on the Heatseakers chart.[16] Wild Child recorded their fourth album, Expectations, in 2017 working with several producers including Chris Walla (formerly Death Cab For Cutie), Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit), Chris Boosahda (Shakey Graves), Scott McMicken (Dr. Dog), Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma), and Max Frost.[17] The band announced the album in November 2017 while debuting the lead singles "Think It Over" and "Expectations." The album was released on February 9, 2018 and peaked at #6 on the US Heatseakers chart and #23 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart.
Wild Child announced their intent to record a fifth album on October 30, 2020.[18] Citing the touring constraints during the pandemic, the band fundraised with its social media following. On January 31, 2023 the band announced their fifth studio album End of the World would release on March 31, 2023 on Reba's Ranch Records.[19]
The band was named by the Austin Chronicle as the Best Indie Band and Best Folk Band in Austin at the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival.[20] In 2014, the band was again named Best Indie Band.[21]
In May 2014, Wild Child appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[22] During the summer of 2014 the band had a breakout performance at Bonnaroo Music Festival attracting an unprecedented crowd of over 5,000 to the sonic stage drawing comparisons to Lucius.[23] The band also performed at Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival and Firefly Music Festival drawing critical acclaim from The Philadelphia Inquirer.[24] Wild Child appeared on Last Call With Carson Daly on December 10, 2015.[25]
Wild Child headlined KGRS's Blues On The Green music series in their hometown of Austin, Texas on June 22, 2016 drawing one of the largest crowds in the event's history, estimated at 25,000 people.[26]