TREAT’s The Endgame is one of my favorite records of the past five years. I fell in love with the band immediately, and it’s still in heavy rotation every day. I’ve even got a Spotify playlist dedicated to them that gets a serious workout.
Fast forward to now — TREAT is back with a brand-new album, The Wild Card (out now via Frontiers Music). So how does it stack up? In a word: perfectly. This collection of songs will get stuck in your head for weeks, trust and believe.
From opener “Out With a Bang” to “Rodeo” and my personal favorite, “1985,” lead vocalist Robert Ernlund sounds like a man on a mission to make every note count.
That’s not to say the rest of the band isn’t killing it — they absolutely are. Guitarist Anders Wikström is on fire throughout, while Jamie Borger (drums), Patrick Appelgren (keyboards/vocals), and Nalle Påhlsson (bass/vocals) lay down a rhythm section as tight and steady as an All-Star infield.
“Hand on Heart” and “Adam & Evil” are instant favorites, while “Back to the Future” is tailor-made for longtime fans. “Mad Honey” slithers in with a groove that I can only describe as seductive, and the ballad “Your Majesty” is pure, melodic perfection.
Meanwhile, “Night Brigade” sticks to your ribs like a home-cooked meal, and “In the Blink of an Eye” captures that classic TREAT magic we all know and love. Closer “One Minute to Breathe” wraps it all up in flawless fashion.
Look, I could gush on and on — and I will — because TREAT is a special band for me. With The Wild Card, they’ve dealt us another hand of pure rock brilliance. So plug it in and play it loud!
STANDOUT TRACKS: All of them
RATING: 10/10
—THE MAESTRO
