Released: 24th August 2018
Rating: ★★★
Ever prolific, Austin four-piece White Denim are back with their eighth album in just ten years, hot on the heels of 2016’s infectious effort ‘Stiff’. While some of their riffs suggest the blues-rock of Black Keys and White Stripes, their sound more frequently apes the 70s psychedelia of Marc Bolan’s T Rex. Opener ‘Magazin’ complements James Petralli’s laconic vocals with a sleazy saxophone solo, while ‘Sky Beaming’ sails over grooves that would fit right on a Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix.
White Denim don’t reinvent the wheel, but they’ve never been in the business of doing so. The mission statement is slick grooves and wiggy guitars, and despite the devotion to vintage sounds it’s hard to fault the quartet on that score. If you’re in search of The New Sound you won’t find it here but if you’re after some fuzzy Southern rock, warbling organs and drawling vocals ‘Performance’ delivers in spades.
Dillon Eastoe
