Review in The Big Takeover by James Broscheid

“After a five-year pause, ‘Concerns Of Wasp And Willow’ returns The Corner Laughers to a terrain they have long mapped with uncommon precision: a space where melodic brightness and lyrical unease coexist without canceling each other out. Rather than smoothing that duality into something more conventional, Karla Kane, Khoi Huynh, KC Bowman, and Charlie Crabtree lean into it, treating contradiction as compositional fuel. The result is an album that feels less like a reconciliation of opposites than a sustained conversation between them, carried forward through arrangement, instrumentation, and narrative detail.”

THE CORNER LAUGHERS release Concerns of Wasp and Willow.

The Corner Laughers return with Concerns of Wasp and Willow, their first album in over five years. This sixth release delivers their signature blend of sunshine and shadow, full of wit, whimsy, and memorable melodies.

Since the early 2000s, The Corner Laughers have built acclaim with timeless indie pop/folk. Their core lineup—Karla Kane, Khoi Huynh, KC Bowman, and Charlie Crabtree—shone on 2015’s Matilda Effect and continued with 2020’s Temescal Telegraph, which offered comfort during the pandemic and earned international praise.

After five years away, The Corner Laughers return when we need them most. Concerns of Wasp and Willow artfully blends joy and melancholy, with Kane’s lyrics and the band’s textures balancing light and dark. The first taste, “Dark Matter,” features a bright melody and celebrates outsiders.

January’s single “Rainbow Cardigan” sharpens the album’s contrasts: vibrant colors, shifting moods, and a chorus that captures both youth and age. Kane calls it a “microcosm of the album,” blending melancholy, exuberance, anxiety, and wonder.

The album’s “Dusking Trilogy” explores transitions and twilight moods: the romantic “Dusking,” the moody “The Harvestman,” and the elegiac “Larkspur Landing.” Each track balances nostalgia and hope, echoing the album’s central themes.

Concerns of Wasp and Willow also celebrate activism and imagination. Songs like “Crumb Clean” and “Red Yarrow, Yellow Yarrow” reflect environmental themes, while “Universe Point” and “Victoria Sponge” juxtapose fantasy and reality, history and hope.

Collaboration is central to the album: Bowman and Huynh’s versatile arrangements, Crabtree’s dynamic drumming, guest appearances by co-founder Angela Rhoades, Bradley Skaught, and Jeri Sykes all enrich the sound.

Concerns of Wasp and Willow is a richly imaginative, melodically memorable album—an inviting world of contrasts, textures, and collaboration, and a welcome return from The Corner Laughers.

PRESS QUOTES:

“The most British-sounding American band you could ever wish to enjoy … a delicious cup of folk-pop Earl Grey “ - Uke Magazine

“The Corner Laughers craft a brand of pop that’s sophisticated, clever, erudite and memorable — one that follows in the proud tradition of great songwriting artists like Carole King and Paul McCartney.” - SF Weekly

“Songwriting at its best ... what great Pop music is all about.” - Trust the Doc

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cornerlaughers/?hl=en

Bandcamp: https://cornerlaughers.bandcamp.com