White Denim - Performance
White Denim - Performance
The opening moments of Performance immediately reminded me of T. Rex, and so I feared that the entire album would be a retread of White Denim's classic rock influences. I needn't have worried. The band is still obviously indebted to the sounds of yesteryear, but here, more than on any of their releases, they're staking out new ground.
White Denim have always been a really solid band. But I don't know if I could have distinguished them from their contemporaries with similar influences. Here they've really built a distinct sound. And it's in support of some of the sharpest, tightest songwriting I've heard in pop-rock in a while.
Energizing grooves, a smorgasbord of interesting guitar sounds, sticky melodies and riffs. I hear psychedelia, synth-pop, and blues rock here. Every song is full of surprises.
The overwhelming impression of the album is one of restraint. All of the instrumentation is very economically layered, it's like they're trying to accomplish as much as possible with as little as they can. The songs are structured like classic rock, but often the sound has been stripped down and warped into something new.
The feelings I get from this music are excitement, the thrill of desire, both fulfilled and denied. It's bodily music, in the way that most rock and roll is, but with a kind of holding back that leaves you wanting more.
Stream in full below via Bandcamp.
Highlights: Magazin • Fine Slime • It Might Get Dark
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