Album Review: White Lung - Paradise

Nothing screams "We're ready to crack the big time" like the production Vancouver-based four-piece White Lung have harnessed for their second album on indie bigwigs Domino.

Even in a post-Blink world where plenty of punk albums aim for a stadium-orientated sound, Paradise rides on a propulsive sound-weapon that packs more layered bang per square inch into its payload than ever before. To boot, White Lung are no three-chord chumps, seamlessly switching through complex riffs and melodies at breakneck speed on the likes of Narcoleptic. The blistering tempos make a good contrast against the band's themes of lethargy and 21st Century cynical detachment, as singer Mish Barber-Way blasts that she "will give birth in a trailer" on Kiss Me When I Bleed. Rarely has despondency sounded so manic. It's an example of where White Lung are at their best, exploding bleak themes with destructive enthusiasm. The single Hungry is quite straight forward by comparison, but it's unlikely to be the rabble-uniting anthem the band is looking for. The problem might be that because of their drive to dazzle with complex manoeuvres and faultless production they've lost sight of the "keep it simple stupid" principles that punk was founded on.

Maybe White Lung have it in them to break all the rules and produce a work of stunning originality, but to do so they may have to dig up something with a tad more individuality.