Artist:  White Lung
Title:  Deep Fantasy
Record: Domino
Rating: 7.0/10

‘Deep Fantasy’ the third LP by LA/Vancouver punks White Lung, has two interchangeable dynamics, these being fast and loud or very fast and very loud. It’s perhaps not as caustic as you’d expect but the unrelenting salvo of frenzied guitars and 100mph drumming means there’s little room to breathe or think when it comes to ‘Deep Fantasy’s ensuing racket. Heading up the punk troop is formidable frontwoman, Mish Way who when recently interviewed by NME stated “I wanted to have a really aggressive band. I wanted to be able to scream”. Screaming isn’t as prominent on the four piece’s latest album – and first for Domino – but brute force is a mainstay.

White Lung produce a claustrophobic sound, it’s scratchy, sometimes piercing but always intense. Each song, by and large, commences like it’s being challenged to a drag race. There’s a heart pounding urgency to ‘Deep Fantasy’ that means the pace rarely drops beyond frantic. The head to head sprint is a rapid competition between Kenny William’s noodling but discordant fretwork and drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou’s persistent machine gun stick work. Way can be found at the nucleus of the melee, generally delivering a drawled, sarcastic toned, bile laced missive – it’s only on opening assault, ‘Drown With The Monster’ where the band’s lynchpin comes out howling like an injured banshee whilst metallic strains wrap themselves around her.

“This world is vile/and it’s just like you” typifies the acerbic nature at ‘Deep Fantasy’s core. This choice lyric kick starts ‘Just For You’, a track that embellishes static clouds of noise amongst the screeching walls of guitar. Cutting through the din, there’s a melody fighting to be heard, even when White Lung are powering at full pelt, the dissonant mess has a purpose and a tune to be unearthed.

There’s little in the way of sonic variety with White Lung’s newest acidic bombast but what it lacks in varied aural palettes in makes up for sheer intensity. If it’s your ‘Deep Fantasy’ to have your eardrums abused by songs constructed from coarse sandpaper, this record is for you.

 http://www.dominorecordco.com/

Word and Thoughts of Adam Williams