It’s the first time I review this band as I was really curious If they would keep up the high quality of their previous work and I noticed a quote about being inspired by Station To Station by David Bowie (and I’m also a Bowie fan), so here we go!
Talking about Am I Really Going To Die, which follows the release ofI Don’t Want To Go To Mars and the title-track of the album, Charles Cave of the band said:
Am I Really Going to Die is a song with familiar subject matter for White Lies but a new chapter musically. It's the first part of a two-song narrative about a self-important hot-shot given a terminal diagnosis, and the various stages of his coming to terms with it. AIRGTD is loosely inspired by the great Danny Huston's character in 'Ivans XTC', and musically by Station to Station era Bowie.
The track is accompanied by an imaginative and engaging video directed by Balan Evans who said about the idea behind it:
This song has so much story in it, it was quite easy to come up with this idea. It sort of spilled out of the lyrics. I was talking to a friend who was recounting being hit by a car and waking up on the ground with people hanging over him and it felt like a unique perspective. This point of view felt rich with storytelling potential, something I wanted to explore and experiment with and most importantly it matched so well with the themes of the song.
So far about all the info needed to get into the album, now time for the music to speak up!
Am I Really Going To Die reminds me indeed a bit of David Bowie (but more like a mix between Low and Station to Station and in a modern jacket). Once the intro of this song is over the song explodes a bit and gets a higher tempo. The vocals are good and the song almost sounds catchy.
As I try Not To Fall Apart has a nice 80’s poppy touch with a catchy feel and despite the lyrics a pretty vibe that invites you to jump up and down or simply dance with your arms in the air. Breathe sounds a bit like the grandeur of their previous hits, mixed with a slice of Simple Minds. I Don’t Want To Go To Mars was the first single they launched and I understand why. This song has a good tempo and a good sound and explodes pretty fast. It’s a great song! Step Outside has a warmer sound and a slower tempo but makes you long to get out and see if life is prettier outside. The breakdown is all in all cool, just as the deep bass sound at that point. Roll December focusses on the bass and the drums. The tempo is a bit slow. Towards the end the song explodes and becomes a real bomb! Ragworm is a slow one and focusses more on the storytelling. The breakdown halfway was a good choice as the relance afterwards gives it an extra boost and some pathos. Blue Drift drifts indeed on a bluesy feel mixed with a bombastic sound and some dark feelings. The End is not a The Cure or a The Open Up And Bleed cover but a weird piece of music with a synth on leads until we get some vocals halfway. The song gets then a more depressed feeling mixed with a space 80’s touch. The last song is called There Is No Cure For It and has a sax in it and contain a bit of pathos just as some melancholia and lots of energy. It’s called blowing out the end of the album in a good way!
I really adore this dark piece of art. I even could describe it a bit as a New Wave album! I hope the fans will love it too and spin this excellent album many times! Go for it!
