With an unabashed respect for ’90s guitar-based rock, White Walls manage to pummel through their self-titled debut full-length with a grace and maturity that one wouldn’t necessarily assume from three young dudes. Sure, there’s a charm in the way they abide by the principles set by Sonic Youth. Tracks like the six-minute bruiser Hey or the rolling There’s Nothing Left do sound cooler-than-thou. But that’s only because all three members (who share vocal duties) never sound like they’re breaking a sweat. In truth, with repeated spins of White Walls, the sweat will indeed begin to pour out.
White Walls is not a record to converse to, or share with a few buddies over beers at sunset. It might not align perfectly with the rest of Poison City’s good-time-buddy punk rock, yet there are elements of the album that will certainly unify. Transmission, like many of the tracks, rises and falls with particular abandon. So much so that it never collects dust of any kind.
If you get caught early on, like in the sonic vortex that is the opener For The Time Being, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to escape it. There’s an incredible cohesive build throughout White Walls that again, speaks to the band’s maturity. This owes in part to the shared vocal duties, sure. But never do they blow the roof off any of their tracks, though you can be sure they had opportunities, such as on Vacant Vessels, the quickest track on the record. White Walls’ ability to exercise restraint while still keeping a maintained sonic fury is what’s most impressive about their debut.
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
Best Track: Transmission
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: DINOSAUR JR., SONIC YOUTH
In A Word: Sweaty
