Milwaukee’s Wax Cherubs are back with a new release that feels like staring up at a thunderhead and daring it to break. “the sky’s perfect animal” is the latest from the rock outfit, and it’s a record that trades in the kind of restless, atmospheric guitar work that’s been quietly defining the city’s underground for the last few years.

There’s a deliberate weight to this one. Wax Cherubs aren’t chasing hooks for the sake of it, but the hooks are there — buried in the haze, peeking out from behind walls of fuzz and reverb, rewarding the listener who’s willing to sit with the songs rather than skim them. It’s the kind of rock record that understands the value of tension, and more importantly, the value of finally letting it go.

The band has a way of making the small details feel cinematic. A guitar line dips out, a vocal cracks at just the right moment, a drum fill lands like a door slamming in the next room. “the sky’s perfect animal” leans into that instinct hard, and the result is a release that feels both lived-in and a little untamed — fitting, given the title.

Milwaukee’s rock scene has been on a steady upswing, and records like this one are exactly why. Wax Cherubs sound confident here, like a band that knows what it wants and isn’t in any particular hurry to explain itself. That’s a good look.

Stream “the sky’s perfect animal” in full below and throw the band some support if it hits.

https://waxcherubs.bandcamp.com/album/the-skys-perfect-animal?from=discover_page