More about: White Lies

For a band now six albums in, you’d expect White Lies to have started running out of steam. However, new album As I Try Not To Fall Apart shows very much otherwise. From the synth-imbued opener ‘Am I Really Going To Die’—which sees lyricist Charles Cave using the vocals of frontman Harry McVeigh’s voice to confront their own mortality—it’s clear that White Lies have zero intention of being anything other than interesting.

Yet in terms of classic White Lies, the sound is still there with the best example being ‘I Don’t Want To Go To Mars’ with its big guitars and massive chorus. The first lines of said chorus “I don’t want to go to Mars / what kind of brainwashed idiot does?” seemingly take aim at Elon Musk and his plans to colonise the Red Planet. 

One thing that really stands out is just how melodic the rhythms are on this album, with Cave’s basslines carrying nearly every song perfectly with some seriously funky playing—or at least a White Lies version of funky. For example, ‘Step Outside’ is basically made for strutting down the street with a spring in your step to, combining piano, bass, and synth stabs to great effect. Another highlight is ‘Roll December’ with its big bassline and drums merging into a proper rock ending which sees drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown really comes into his own, holding it all together for a real head banger of an ending. 

Overall, it’s a solidly good record from the now-indie veterans and shows a band not bothering to rest on their laurels even if they know what makes a good White Lies song by now. It’s an album full of fantastic songwriting and intriguing lyricism with very little filler to show for it. 

As I Try Not To Fall Apart arrives 18 February via PIAS.

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More about: White Lies