Released May 6, 2016
How good is it when a band just keeps getting better with each release? So it is with White Lung, from Vancouver. 2012’s Sorry was my introduction to the band, snaring me in with catchy melodic hooks, frantic guitars and breakneck two-minute long tracks. Their last release, Deep Fantasy, was one of my albums of the year in 2014, with a slicker production and slightly hookier melodies.
Now they’ve hit us with Paradise, and it’s another belter of an album. This one has a much larger sound, nearly stadium-sounding, with chunkier guitars, lashings of reverb and an even smoother production than Deep Fantasy.
Their sound explores a bit of new territory, with a few slower, more considered compositions (well, slower for White Lung that is), and a more melodic, nearly pop-sounding direction – kinda like Best Coast, but on speed.
None of this takes away from what drew me to the band in the first place. The songs are still unrelentingly fast, with drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou rarely venturing off tempo in any of the 10 songs. The whole album still comes in at just under half an hour, only 6 minutes longer than Deep Fantasy. Mish Barber-Way’s vocals are smoother and cleaner, but still delivered with the same unfaltering intensity, while Kenneth Williams’ guitar playing has only gotten better; his whip-fast delivery and frenzied high-note riffs continue to be the most recognisable component of White Lung’s sound.
Barber-Way’s lyrics are as provocative and punk-rock as ever, challenging accepted views on beauty, fame, childbirth, and feminism. “I will give birth in a trailer, huffing the gas in the air”, and “So spare your good seed, I’m getting bored and old” are just a couple of many stand-out lines.
“Dead Weight” comes crashing out the gates, and coupled with “Narcoleptic” delivers some classic White Lung moments. “Below” is the first song to give us something a little different from the usual, with big melodies and soaring guitars. This is followed by the full-throttle trio of “Kiss Me When I Bleed”, “Demented” and “Sister”, with “Demented” offering up one of the more heavier riffs on the album. First single “Hungry” is another change in direction, with deliciously catchy melodies, particularly in the chorus. Then follows the stupidly fast verse guitars in “I Beg You”, the dark and violent imagery of “Vegas”, before the album finishes in classic White Lung style with title track “Paradise”, featuring this great line: “And I want to run with you, we’ll go so very far they’ll never hear our copulating”.
Progressing your sound in a way that keeps it interesting and fresh, while still retaining the style and uniqueness that got people listening in the first place, is probably the hardest for a band to achieve. Luckily for us, White Lung keep finding that balance, with consecutive albums offering up new and exciting ideas, while also leaving us with no doubt that this the same White Lung we know and love. Paradise is no exception.
I missed their last tour to Australia, but luckily they have just been announced on this year’s Laneway Festival bill. It’ll be awesome to finally catch these guys live.
Favourite song: Hungry
whitelung.ca | Buy on Vinyl, CD & Cassette | Listen on Spotify
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