Wildlife by La Dispute

Wildlife is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band La Dispute, released October 4, 2011, on independent label No Sleep Records. Recording sessions for the album took place primarily at StadiumRed in New York City in April 2011. The band members took control of all of the production duties alongside the album's recording engineers, Andrew Everding and Joseph Pedulla. Wildlife was their last release on No Sleep Records before forming their own record label, Better Living. Noted by music writers for its varied elements, Wildlife incorporates musical components from La Dispute's previous releases, particularly Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair and Here, Hear III., and genres such as screamo, progressive rock and post-rock. The album features lyrical themes that – while making several references to the band's home town of Grand Rapids – focus on personal loss, anger, and despair and, in the vision of the band, is a collection of unpublished "short stories" from a hypothetical author, complete with the author’s notes and sectioned thematically by the use of four monologues. The album debuted at number 135 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 3,140 copies in its first week. It spent one week on the chart and charted only in the United States. Prior to its release, Wildlife was promoted with two singles, "Harder Harmonies" and "The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit". The album was well received by critics, who mainly praised its conceptual lyrics and more melodic approach to the band's style.