Wild Nothing
Jack Tatum's reverb-soaked '80s indie-pop, which has aged much better than the chillwave label it arrived with — 'Shadow' still shimmering.
Jack Tatum began recording as Wild Nothing in 2009 in Blacksburg, Virginia, while studying at Virginia Tech, after playing in local bands Jack and the Whale and FACEPAINT. A home-recorded cover of Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting" spread online and drew enough attention that Tatum signed to Captured Tracks.
Gemini, released in 2010, set the template: layered guitars, soft vocals kept low in the mix, and melodies drawn from 1980s British indie pop and 4AD-style dream pop. Nocturne followed in 2012 with cleaner production and more prominent synthesizers, without losing that reverb-heavy atmosphere, and debuted at number one on Billboard's New Artist chart.
Life of Pause, partly recorded in Stockholm, arrived in 2016, followed by Indigo in 2018 and Hold in 2023, whose single "Headlights On" featured Hatchie. Across five albums and four EPs, including Evertide, Golden Haze, Empty Estate and Laughing Gas, Tatum has kept refining the same reverb-soaked core sound.
Tatum writes and records largely alone, then tours with a full band that includes longtime bassist Jeff Haley, guitarist Christoph Hochheim and keyboardist Lou Rebecca. He has also produced and written outside his own project, contributing to Japanese Breakfast's "Be Sweet" and Molly Burch's album Emotion.
Wild Nothing at a glance
Where is Wild Nothing from?
Wild Nothing is from Blacksburg, VA.
What kind of music does Wild Nothing play?
Wild Nothing is tagged dream pop and indie pop.
What festivals has Wild Nothing played before?
Wild Nothing has played Kilby Block Party 2026.
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