Following the release of the critically acclaimed record ILYSM in 2022, the New York indie-rock project of John Ross, Wild Pink, has unveiled their fifth studio album Dulling the Horns via Fire Talk Records.

Whisperings of the record were unveiled in 2022 when John Ross was experimenting with the new material that would later be Dulling the Horns, while on the ILYSM tour, and now fans can finally indulge in the 10 track LP.

Dulling the Horns starts things off with track ‘The Fences of the Stonehenge,’ a classic rock anthem about the importance of hope, and how to move forward within the absence of it, and sets the tone of what’s to come.

Each track boasts that warm, classic-rock Wild Pink sound, with layered bright, jangly guitars, and rolling drum and baselines, along with surprising lines of surfy delayed guitar, reverby synth, glittery keys, smooth sax, echoing pedal-steel, and swaying fiddle. Dulling the Horns is full of nostalgia, sincere in its openness, and was recorded with the intention of it feeling and sounding like a live performance.

Although somewhat sparse in density compared to earlier works, there is so much texture and feeling in each track, similar to the delivery the band might have on stage and the inspiration behind the raw style of production. The record feels stripped and vulnerable, but still incorporates the shiny, atmospheric production that fans are used to. With poignant lyricism that truly resonates with the listener – sometimes gritty, sometimes playful, Ross has revelations of moving onwards and upwards.

With inspiration for the title of the record drawing from a wild animal’s horns being worn down, a taming of – Ross goes back to a more real and human space with Dulling the Horns. On the other side of his battle with cancer, and now his being a father, the new record tackles the passing of time, grieving, growing, and moving forward – healing and beginning again.

We end on the final track ‘Rung Cold,’ which is a commentary on our ability to move through the modern day and take up space, while being overstimulated, chasing dopamine, and how it’s impossible not to get lost in it. The track resolves into acceptance of our continued attempt to be free of our devices, and always finding a silver lining.

Pre-order Dulling the Horns Here