Wild Nothing's Jack Tatum Focuses on the Big Picture, Not Lyrics

In a recent interview, Beach Fossils founder Dustin Payseur told Spinner he considers vocals "just another instrument in the mix." His Captured Tracks label mate Jack Tatum, the multi-instrumentalist behind the group Wild Nothing, shares this philosophy, as is evidenced by the sound of his recently released debut, 'Gemini.'

"Most of the vocals in my songs are kind of washed out and indecipherable," Tatum tells Spinner shortly before leaving his home in Virginia for a summer UK tour. "For me, the important part is how everything works together. For me, the voice is -- like Dustin said -- another instrument, another way to add texture and get another melody into the mix."

One reason this works is that Wild Nothing makes dreamy, wistful music -- the sort that relies as much on implied feelings as the clarity of Tatum's words and phrases. It's a sound that lends itself to introspective writing, and Tatum says his songs tend to be based on his own experiences.

"I've always been more interested in that than more storytelling kinds of songwriting," he says. "Not to say I'm into, like, super gushy stuff, but it's more interesting to me to get the personal-feeling side of songwriting."

While Tatum has spoken of his love for such groups as the Cure and the Smiths -- artists whose influence is all over 'Gemini' -- he differs from these heroes in one fundamental way: He doesn't strive for the kinds of life-changing emotional statements found in the lyrics of Robert Smith and Morrissey.

"I'm not terribly interested in lyrics," Tatum says. "To me, lyrics are always a plus. Like, when a song has good lyrics, it's a plus. It's definitely not the first thing I listen to. I'm more interested in the structures and the instrumentation and just how the song sounds as a whole."