Wolf Mask – “NEVERSETTLE”

Wolf Mask, the experimental psych rock quartet led by Ross Bogan dropped a new single last week called “NEVERSETTLE”, in advance of their excellent performance at Charleston’s iconic dive bar venue The Royal American on Friday, September 15th.

“NEVERSETTLE” is an upbeat alternative club banger that offers a very clear nod to LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean” with the pulsing distorted synth in the arrangement. Not quite a sample, Ross instead takes that famous synth sound and crafts his own melody around it, and it works.

Lyrically, “NEVERSETTLE” encourages listeners to keep going, because “when you’re all lit up you’re the best to be around”. Ross addressing the audience with his lyrics is something that we’ve heard both from his songs with Wolf Mask, like the 2022 debut single “LIQUIDCRYSTALDISPLAY”, and with some songs he’s penned with Doom Flamingo.

Ross also manages to sneak in another subtle nod, this one to The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers”. The second verse contains the lyric, “I need you now, I know you’re the king of the underground,” which is sung with the same cadence as heard in the “Dead Flowers” lyric “I know you think you’re the queen of the underground”.

Overall, I guess you can tell that I really like this song. “NEVERSETTLE” might be my favorite Wolf Mask song to date. Stream it below, plus the instrumental. Next Wolf Mask hometown show is October 20th at Charleston Pour House with Jive Talk.