Abi Reimold’s album, Wriggling, out now on Sad Cactus Records, is a confounding debut, taking its musical cue from the record’s name. Wriggling is a record that wriggles. It wriggles, it slithers, it shifts. I spent the majority of my first play-through trying to figure out what exactly Wriggling ‘is,’ but to no avail. Flashes of ideas fold into themselves as others replace them. Where there may be a momentary flash of the loud-quiet-loud post-rock of Slint, the next moment one hears riffs reminiscent of the most raucous moments on Weezer’s Blue Album – especially on the track ‘mask.’ 90s alt-rock nostalgia – especially notable in the Sonic Youth vibes of ‘bad seed’ – gives way to bursts of early aughts pop punk. Yet there is as much of mid-aughts indie folk and pop. Background audio appearing sporadically throughout the album recall’s Belle & Sebastian’s ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister,’ just another piece to the slippery puzzle. In the end you’ve stumbled through something that evokes mis-remembered middle school CD listening in Hot Topics filtered through the haze of Barnes & Noble soundtracks. Wriggling is an album whose parts never seem to add up to their whole, and becomes infinitely more engaging for that very reason, although it doesn’t hurt that Abi Reimold’s vocals are never boring. Highlight: ‘vessel’