WIN WIN - AFTER THE WAIT

It’s Flashback Friday. And every Flashback Friday, we beg the same question. Why didn’t this band, this song, this record, pan out? And the answer is seemingly always the same: circumstance, timing, luck. But in the case of WIN WIN, they had a lot of that on their side. Impressive backgrounds in the industry, big name collaborations, and what felt like an inevitable path forward. But forget about all of that. Because you’re probably asking (and rightfully so), “but how do they sound?” And the answer is as objectively true as the pulse powering your vascular system: really damn good. When we reflect on their 2012 magnum opus Double Vision, we put it on par with the likes of other brilliant records from that year: alt-J’s An Awesome Wave, Purity Ring’s Shrines, and TEED’s Trouble. Honestly, it was an absolutely bonkers year for music as a whole. But, as much as we shouted their name from our local mountaintops (okay, hillsides), it wasn’t enough to cross that threshold from indie obscurity into mainstream relevance. And so, today, as is often the case with Flashback Fridays, winds up being kind of a somber one. Because, this band, and particularly this record, deserved so much more than what the world gave it in return. We’re featuring “AFTER THE WAIT” because it’s so profoundly wholesome and uplifting, but it was when we heard the unique and perpetually challenging “ONES AND ZEROES” that we knew WIN WIN was on to something special. While we might’ve seen the last of WIN WIN as a band, we can still hold out hope that a late round fan rally for no more deserving record than Double Vision is possible. Until then, we, along with the other 4,321 Spotify-following compatriots, will continue to cherish the art they put so much time, effort, and emotion into creating.