Album review: White Lies: 'To Lose My Life'

WHITE LIES: 'To Lose My Life' (Fiction)

In case you hadn't noticed, White Lies have a bit of an obsession with death. It may have escaped your attention in amongst the sunny, blissed-out dreamscapes and chirpy harmonies of their mega hit singles but, honestly, if you look hard enough, if you plough through the dense metaphors and potent subtleties of their work, before long, you'll come to realise that... oh who am I kidding, it's fucking obvious, isn't it? White Lies' major thematic proclivity is about as well hidden as the punchline to an Andy Parsons joke; the red flags are everywhere. In fact, the word 'death' alone, never mind the countless synonyms for it, appears a whopping 3,964 times on 'To Lose My Life', or at least it certainly seems to once you've managed to scrape your forlorn, depressed carcass off the ground after listening to its decidedly morbid tales about humanity's mortality.

Fortunately for White Lies, while close scrutiny of their lyrics may make you want to reach for the nearest razorblade, simply listening to the music, letting the album wash over you per se, proves to be a far less hazardous and distinctly enjoyable experience. It's little surprise that the nation has taken the band to its collective heart, and this record to number one no less, when you consider that their sound marries the universalist catharsis of Glasvegas with the 80s synth stylings of the Killers, stopping off at Joy Division's miserablist boutique and Editors' angular, wiry guitar store along the way. With such big name influences, it's hard to go wrong; the resultant hybrid is one that transforms delicate melodies into explosive rhythms, firing huge choruses and memorable hooks left, right and centre. 'Death', the album opener and tone setter, begins softly enough, but before long, the quiet bass drum is joined by an almighty crashing snare, giving a sense of the gloriously loud indie beast that is to come. Cleverly, the band refrain from playing their ace too early and return to merely the bass drum after a quiet run through the chorus; it takes no less than three minutes for the track to unleash its full energy and it's all the better for it, as its power is fleeting but memorable. 'Unfinished Business', the debut single, adopts the same strategy and sounds colossal as a result.

This, without a shadow of a doubt, is an album of singles. Just about any one of its ten gorgeous tracks could feature on Jo Whiley's lunchtime show and get away with it, plugging into the hook-led palates of the average listener. Effectively, White lies have written ten decidedly dour pop songs, and that's certainly no small feat for a band with little history to speak of. 'To Lose My Life', the song, is a wonderfully anthemic piece, its chorus of 'let's grow old together/And die at the same time' sounding remarkably life-affirming. For all its morbidity, you want to follow his instruction, for its delivery is so impassioned and well meant. 'Farewell to the Fairground', meanwhile, sounds like New Order would had they not chosen to abandon the clinical sound of the Joy Division records - around a 'Blue Monday' drum beat, the singer laments the loss of a 'dead town' and invites the listener to 'keep on running!', away from this place and towards somewhere more like home. The refrain is repeated continually as the track explodes into a massive finish and it's damn well epic.

If 'To Lose My Life' has one flaw, it is that it is somewhat monochrome. The band rarely deviate from their admittedly successful formula and it does begin to wear a little thin towards the record's climax ('From the Stars' and 'The Price of Love' feel rather less impressionable). In a way, this is to be expected; as a debut, this has a very strong sense of purpose and a distinct concept. The band will grow and develop over time and their sound will surely expand. As an initial statement, however, 'To Lose My life' is a thoroughly impressive piece, managing to make the bleakest of subjects an accessible and enjoyable listen. With melodies this delicious and choruses this big, it should be many, many more years before White Lies pass on. Let's grow old with them, shall we? (8/10)