Headed up by journalist, writer and actress Mish Way, White Lung is a Canadian band who has been together for about 10 years and has three other releases behind them. Their genre is difficult to explain; the melodic and heavy yet extremely clean guitar mixed with fast drums points to metal and hardcore influences but it’s the fantasy video game synths that really throw you off. This amalgamation of sounds creates quite a unique and interesting sound unlike any other band you can think of.
Speaking in a recent interview, Mish explained “I wanted a record that sounded like it was made in 2016… I wanted each song to have their own vibe and sense of place.” Whilst they have achieved an up to date sound, the uniqueness of each track is debatable. Songs like ‘Sister’, ‘Dead Weight’, ‘Demented’ and ‘Narcoleptic’ feel very similar in terms of instrument arrangement and pace, their meanings getting lost behind a wall of repetitive synth and undecipherable lyrics.
The tracks that stand out do so due to their more melodic riffs and clearer story telling. ‘Below’, for example, has a really simple melody on the verse before crashing into an insane guitar solo on the bridge. This contrast makes the piece a lot more interesting and enables you to appreciate the different elements of the song. ‘Kiss Me When I Bleed’ also has a great riff and is definitely the catchiest song on the whole album; even with its strangely unsettling lyrics “I will give birth in a trailer / Huffing the gas and the air / Baby is born in molasses / Like I would even care.”
A lot of work, time and talent have obviously gone into this creation, and it will no doubt please White Lung’s long-time fans, but as a new listener it is hard to be completely positive. Ending with the title track, Paradise feels like a very short album with some interesting themes but only a few stand out tracks. It does not feel like the best representation of the band’s immense volume of work, but it will definitely do well in their own circles.