7th October 2016 Via BMG
6/10
The problem for many established acts is how to keep themselves sounding fresh and interesting once they’ve found the sound which works for them, and White Lies are no exception. Having set themselves up as a solid post-punk act complete with dramatic, story-like lyrics, driving basslines, and synthesised strings on their first two efforts, 2009’s To Lose My Life and 2011’s Ritual, 2013’s follow-up Big TV felt as if it wanted to move away from this without knowing how this new direction wanted to sound. Their new album, Friends, cuts these ties more radically with an 80’s pop sound and more intimate lyrics, but doesn’t completely solve the problem.
Perhaps the sleek packaging sums it up best—it’s White Lies, but brighter and wrapped in retro synthpop. The lead single, ‘Take It Out On Me’ coincidentally is only two words away from a certain 80’s hit which seems to have influenced many of the chiptune-esque keyboards on the record. Musically, this is certainly a far cry from upbeat early singles such as ‘Death’ or ‘Farewell to the Fairground’. New tracks, ‘Hold Back Your Love’ and ‘Is My Love Enough’ are built on pulsating layers of synthesisers, disco-styled basslines, and genuinely heartfelt, intimate lyrics and are—shock horror—actually quite danceable. The new electro approach really comes into its own for ‘Swing’, a slow-burning, minimalistic track, building up from a simple bassline and drumbeat into the familiar, chorus-heavy band we know.
Inevitably, there are filler tracks, and in some respects there is a lack of diversity between tracks once the new sound is more familiar—a similar problem to that which plagued Big TV. The big choruses and interesting music is there, but sandwiched between acceptable, yet unremarkable songs. Despite this, we should commend White Lies for a genuinely bold step forward, both musically and lyrically. Friends is a good album and several tracks merit a few re-listens at worst and a place to get stuck in your head at best. Let’s hope that White Lies continue to put out more of these types of tracks and fewer unremarkable filler tracks on future albums.
