Times are tough for bass players these days. It’s not enough that guitar-and-drums duos like the White Stripes and Black Keys were selling out arenas for the better part of the last couple of decades — local two-pieces are getting in on the act as well. While the Guezen brothers of fuzzed-out blues rockers The New Wild may not have as aggressive of a sound as fellow ‘Peg duo Mobina Galore, they have a similarly nuanced approach to their stripped-down setup. There’s certainly some modern-blues-twosome-by-the-numbers going on here, but it’s not the extent of The New Wild’s abilities. “No Cuts” is four-and-a-half minutes of slow-burning, buzzy twang and the stand-out, “Play it by Fear,” exposes the raw blues roots of the grunge era. Surprisingly, those two highlights are the songs that could have used a bassist the most. These guys can obviously bang out minimalist blues in their sleep, but the other tracks have a lot more depth and might sound even better fleshed out. Either way, the Guezen bros are doing something right here with a solid debut. (Independent, thenewwild.bandcamp.com) Sam Thompson