The Smith Street Band — Once I Was Wild
The Smith Street Band's Once I Was Wild — This record rewards listeners who believe punk doesn’t stop mattering once youth fades. Once I Was Wild isn’t about redemption as spectacle—it’s about what comes after accountability, when the noise dies down and life gets real. Recommended for listeners drawn to lyric-driven punk that treats growth as hard-won rather than heroic.
Once I Was Wild is the kind of record that sneaks up on you—not because it’s subtle, but because it’s emotionally honest in a way few punk records dare to be.
The Smith Street Band have always traded in big feelings and bigger choruses, but this album feels different. Louder and punkier than casual listeners might expect, it’s also more reflective, written by a frontman now firmly in adulthood. Will Wagner, 35, is no longer singing from the chaos of youth, nor the distance of nostalgia. He’s writing from the middle—where mistakes linger, responsibilities multiply, and optimism has to be earned.
To understand why this album hits so hard, a little context helps.
Wagner rose quickly in Australia’s punk scene, gaining national and international attention as a teenager. His highly publicized breakup with Georgia Maq of Camp Cope—and a private, ugly email he sent in its aftermath—became a turning point. When the email was made public, Wagner was swiftly shunned by much of the music industry. Tours vanished. Support evaporated. The isolation that followed pushed him into a deep depression and ultimately a suicide attempt.
His 2020 comeback, Don’t Waste Your Anger, was a reckoning—an album steeped in remorse, grief, and self-awareness. It won major awards and reestablished him as a vital voice in Australian music. The penultimate track, “It’s OK,” remains one of his most devastating and human songs.
Now, five years later, Once I Was Wild feels like the next chapter rather than a retread. Wagner is married, a father, and writing about what matters now: reckoning with his past, the relationships he damaged, the reckless freedom of youth, and the fragile hope of being better—for his child, his partner, and himself.
The title track captures that tension beautifully. “Airport Bar” highlights the restless momentum, while “Teenage Daughter” lands as one of the most affecting songs he’s ever written—equal parts regret and resolve. These aren’t songs trying to excuse past behavior; they’re songs trying to live honestly with it.
This isn’t an album for those young at heart, and it may be too raw for those hoping for easy nostalgia. But for anyone who’s lived long enough to screw up, take responsibility, and keep going anyway, Once I Was Wild resonates deeply.
If you care about lyrical punk—music that’s messy, reflective, and unafraid of accountability—this is a rare 10/10. Read the lyrics. Sit with them. Then decide what you think.