Aeons ago, punk rock came along and everyone delighted at the fact that the adrenaline-rousing three minute song had finally stomped over every musical excess known to man and made music exciting, vibrant, refreshing and rapturous once more.
It may not be punk rock – but the new album from Forfar's The White Light has exactly the same effect.
A 10 track album it is full of surging anthems that roar into life and into your head, refusing to let go, insisting that you wake up to a different song swirling around inside your head each morning you wake and each night you go to sleep. Opening with the surefire hit-that-could-be of “Young Hearts”, they immediately stamp their seal on things with a guitar-led driving sea of riff and rhythm as the distinctive vocalist surges in with a mix of punk-rock sneer, emo feeling and rock rage to deliver an insanely catchy song that's got this huge sounding depth and supercharged rhythm laced with solid guitars. It's fast, it's furious, but it's also indie punk-pop at its finest. “Nichola” is similarly strident with another angst-ridden surge of a vocal delivering a racing song over a surging backdrop of cascading electric guitars, solid driving rhythms, wah wah leads and a massive mix of punk and rock guitars injected with a contemporary indie chart twist, as the song tells its tale at breakneck speed but at a pace that allows you to enjoy every memorable moment, as verses act as choruses on a song without a hook yet is one absolute gigantic hook in its own right. “Gypsy Girl” strides out with driving drums and bass undercurrents in a kind of souped-up supercharged Bo Diddley beat as this dense wall of guitars riffs away alongside, while the vocals just soar overhead in that angst-ridden style so perfect for the songs, almost angry but holding back, preferring emotion to eruption. A storm force song, it nevertheless is amazingly catchy and you're addicted to its rhythms and guitars as much as the song itself. “She Loves You More” is a slightly slower but still driving track that could easily stand head and shoulders alongside early The View and, forgive me for saying, but it could easily rival most tracks off the first View album. “This Ain't New York” gives us a respite as the sound of acoustic guitars opens a song that features this razor-wire, taut vocal, as a slice of seriously emotive vocalising delivers the song over a simple backing of acoustic guitar, shakers and deep bass, even accapella at points, before a chunky drum enters and provides more backbone to the piece – short but so effective. “Little Kicks” returns to the driving rhythms and riffing guitars, this time on a fast-paced number with a memorable chorus as the song veritably races away with the totally distinctive vocals delivering yet another surging performance on a song that flashes by all too quickly, the hook remaining inside your head, the anthemic nature of it, something that you can't get enough of. “Yeah Yeah” is similar, only here the arrangement twists and turns between surging adrenaline rush hooks with massive guitars leading driving beats alternated with more subdued drop-downs before it all rises up once more into this massively catchy blast of roaring indie-pop. “You And Me” opens with this roaring riff as the song coalesces over driving, solid, lurching rhythms as the soaring sneer of a vocal just launches itself into your consciousness, totally taking you over as the guitar hook proves irresistible and the song stomps forward to perfection. As with all the songs on here, it's lyrically attention-grabbing as well as being sublime pop perfection of the indie-rock variety. “Skin And Bones” starts with a deep bellowing bass before the band just erupt in a cloud of rage and guitars-driven rampage on a song that is the epitome of irresistibility, the whole thing charging along in storm-force mode to absolute perfection as the rhythms defy you not to leap about, the guitars defy you not to leap about doing air guitar and the song and vocal delivery just defy you not to want to play it all over again, the moment it comes to an abrupt and fiery supercharged, guitars-driven finale.
The album ends on “For U”, as the sound of gentility is the perfect follow-on from the insanely catchy indie-pop fury of the previous track, a gorgeous slice of raw balladry seeing things out to superb effect.
Overall, it's one amazing album – every song is a gem, every song counts and most songs are capable of being potential chart hits, while at the same time being the sort of songs that you want to hear over and over again. This is indie-pop with rock bite and punk venom, at its finest.