Alright, one of my favourite upcoming new bands, and certainly doing awfully well. White Lies consist Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave and Jack Lawrence-Brown. During live performances, Tommy Bowen complements with the keyboard.
Their debut work, "To Lose My Life" is macabre and dark. Oddly enough, with the darkness, there were subtle glimmers of light that speck the songs. With loss, there was redemption, with despair, there was hope.
Title track "To Lose My Life" poses the question 'to lose my life or lose my love' and that indeed is a hard question. The question is subsequently answered, in that they should grow old together and die at the same time. Simple and ingenious. Yet within this whole nightmare, lies a sliver of hope as a part of him still believes, that his soul will soar above the trees. Strong pulsating drum beats drive this song, which is the recipe for about the whole album. "E.S.T." is personal yet again, disturbingly dark lyrics lead me to wonder what it would really be like to leave my memoirs in blood on the floor, and my fears with the nurse on the stairs. Personally, I feel that "Unfinished Business" managed to show his extended range of vocals for a rock song and thus, him at his best. The lyrics tell a story, of betrayal and forgiveness, and stands out the most in this album. The most telling of what the album's idea is about, "Death" is surprisingly the most mild of all. All that he did was picturing his own grave, and he's frightened of dying.
The songs actually sounds almost the same, it's like there's a recipe, the steps are the same, while the ingredients are different. All they need to do is change the lyrics. It's pretty anthemic and could actually be radio-friendly, which is a double-edged sword. The thundering bass supplements the drum beats which are the driving force behind this album. However, if one would notice, the keyboard and synth could actually be heard lining most songs, adding a difference to this album. Overall, it sounds very clean and crisp, but sometimes a little too much, very methodical.
While this album received mixed reviews, I would like to say I quite liked the album, as it somewhats grows on you and that I'd like to see how they develop as a band. Partly, I don't think they can milk this dark tone anymore for their next album and it would be interesting to see what they can come up with. Ultimately, this may not be a stellar album, but it sparkles in it's own way and certainly makes them one to look out for.
White Lies - Unfinished Business
White Lies - To Lose My Life
White Lies - Death
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