New Wild Everywhere

New Wild Everywhere, released in 2012, marks a pivotal transition for Great Lake Swimmers. After building a reputation for 'location-based' recording - using the natural reverb of non-traditional spaces like the Grand River subway or a grain silo - frontman Tony Dekker moved the operation into a formal studio environment for the first time. This shift resulted in the band's most hi-fi and accessible work to date. Produced by Andy Magoffin, the album maintains the band's signature pastoral themes but enhances them with lush arrangements and a more prominent rhythm section. The title track serves as a manifesto for this new energy, featuring a driving tempo that echoes R.E.M.’s mid-period folk-rock. Critically, the album was viewed as a consolidation of their strengths, with AllMusic and BBC Music noting that while it didn't reinvent their sound, it perfected their brand of 'comfort-food' folk. It stands as the bridge between their early, haunting minimalism and their later, more expansive chamber-folk explorations.