White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 47:31 minutes | 578 MB | Genre: Alternative Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © [PIAS]

Arguably one of the biggest guitar bands in the UK, it’s been well over a decade since the White Lies’s breakthrough single “Deat”h introduced a group for whom the fragility of human existence has been a constant touchstone. Now in his 30s, chief lyricist Cave’s outlook on the great unknown has evolved. “I think the side of death or mortality that I always find interesting is the fact we all know it’s going to happen,” he says, “and how different people navigate that.” The followup to 2019’s Five, As I Try Not To Fall Apart is their most expansive record to date, taking in explosive rock, electro-pop bangers, prog-inspired invention, funk-tinged grooves and some of their most indelible hooks yet. “We’ll probably never make an album in the way we made this one again,” says Cave. “I think this could be one of our best” says McVeigh. Recorded over two studio sessions, White Lies tested their resolve to get there, but they didn’t fall apart. They have emerged with their most vital collection of songs in years.

Britain’s White Lies make the kind of fluorescent-lit post-punk that you might expect to be pumping out of storefront speakers in a futuristic Blade Runner-esque city. It’s an evocative sound which they further embrace on their sleek sixth effort, 2022’s As I Try Not to Fall Apart. The album, which again finds them working with longtime producer Ed Buller and Claudias Mittendorfer, who handle several of the tracks, is just as artfully monochromatic as their early work, but with a nuanced sophistication they’ve been building upon since at least 2016’s Friends. While there are certainly ’80s-style new wave hooks here, cuts like “Breathe,” “I Don’t Want to Go to Mars,” and the title track are less predictable than some of their past works, balancing intriguing song construction with laser-beam synths, broken-glass guitar accents, and a sparkling blend of analog and electronic beats. It’s a vibrant combination which brings to mind bands like New Order and the Fixx much more than say Joy Division. Later album cuts like “Roll December” and “The End,” however, have a Teutonic, wide-screen vibe with heavy bass offset by shiny teardrop keyboard and guitar riffs nicely conjuring Disintegration-era the Cure. At the core of all this shadowy romanticism is bassist and lead singer Charles Cave, whose dark chocolate baritone croon is still pure Goth Sinatra. While As I Try Not to Fall Apart probably won’t pull in any new fans, it has a sultry, back-of-the-club intensity that speaks to White Lies’ ever-deepening artistry. – Matt Collar

Tracklist:

01. White Lies – Am I Really Going To Die (04:47)
02. White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart (04:58)
03. White Lies – Breathe (04:46)
04. White Lies – I Don’t Want To Go To Mars (04:37)
05. White Lies – Step Outside (04:05)
06. White Lies – Roll December (06:44)
07. White Lies – Ragworm (04:32)
08. White Lies – Blue Drift (05:00)
09. White Lies – The End (03:54)
10. White Lies – There Is No Cure For It (04:05)

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