White Lung
Deep Fantasy (Domino)
16/20
It would be easy to start this review by stating how unfortunate White Lung are to be dropping this – their third full length and first for Domino – so soon after Perfect Pussy’s stone-cold classic Say Yes To Love. But such concerns were un- founded: Deep Fantasy is easily one of the most entertaining records of the year thus far.
2012’s Sorry was a thoroughly enjoyable record, and this is essentially more of the same. Currently reduced to a three piece comprising vocalist Mish Way, drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou and Kenneth William, the latter’s guitar work is still the band’s main draw, melding thick low-end riffing and frenetic, mathy leads; the drumming is solid, but necessarily un-flashy given the relentless melodic blitzkrieg overhead. It’s laughably satisfying at times, and the unexpectedly frequent comparisons to classic-era AFI (that’s Black Sails in the Sunset, All Hallows and Art of Drowning to you) are actually pretty spot-on: Deep Fantasy occupies a sonic space far more indebted to late-90s Cali punk and crunchy hardcore than the post-Grrrl femme punk it’s being inevitably lumped in with.
Gripes are few: Drown With The Monster is a weak opener, and though, musically, the strongest tracks – Down It Goes, Wrong Star and Sycophant specifically – sound increasingly faultless on every listen, Way’s vocals do tend to lack in range, following generally the same cadences on every track. In addition, it suffers from a production style that, although punchy and clattering, is also oddly shiny and emotion-sucking at times. But these are minor complaints. This is a great record.
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Words: Thomas Howells
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