Album Review: The White Noise – AM/PM

Tyler H. June 20, 2017 196 Comments 562 views 1 like

Whether it’s a partner in life, a job or the perfect pair of pants, finding the right “fit” is one of the most important desires for most people in life. It provides a level of comfort and gives us something to fall back on when the struggle gets hard. Originally formed in Dallas, TX, The White Noise know all too well about finding the right fit after dealing with a multitude of lineup changes, eventual relocation and name change. In the end though, it all came together in a beautiful way as the band became a surprise sensation with their signing to Fearless Records and the release of their debut EP Aren’t You Glad? in early 2016 which provided listeners with a distinct, varied sound that didn’t really fall under a singular label. As they’re now set to release their debut album, AM/PM, they once again are showing the world how willing they are to experiment.

[tw-toggle title=”About The White Noise”]
Genre: Post Hardcore
Label: Fearless Records
Release: June 23, 2017
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
Purchase: iTunes | Google Play
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For the uninitiated, The White Noise don’t really have a sound that can be classified into a certain type of genre. Sure, there is somewhat of a base sound that derives from punk and heavier rock, which is why many fit them into the post hardcore genre, but it’s what they do on top of that sound that makes them unique. That’s why putting AM/PM into a certain label or sound doesn’t do the band or album justice. With the varied approach in mind, it still boils down to the execution and requires artists to be able to blend the styles together in a cohesive manner, which is another area that The White Noise excel in. Songs such as “Picture Day” and “Rated R” display the heavier, more metal influenced side of the band, with the latter having unadulterated rawness through its aggression, shrieking screams. On the other end of that you have moments like “I Lost My Mind (in California)” which has a very pop punk feel to it while “Montreal” delivers an emotional message through its subtleness, but deviates from being a typical acoustic track.

The White Noise – The Best Songs Are Dead (Official Music Video)

“The Best Songs Are Dead” taken from the album ‘AM/PM’ out now. DIGITAL: http://smarturl.it/TWNampm BUNDLES: http://smarturl.it/ampmbundles Stay connected: http://thewhitenoiseband.com http://facebook.com/thewhitenoiseband http://twitter.com/thewhitenoisela http://instagram.com/thewhitenoise Directed by: Sam Shapiro & Brendan Barone LYRICS: There’s no redemption. We’ll never bleed the same again. Borrowed aggression. Another way to cash it in.

With a solid understanding of the variety brought forth in tow, the next aspect goes into how does the music actually sound? Staying true their debut EP, the overall sound on AM/PM has a nice balance of rawness with the shiny, over the top production included when needed. Take for example the opening track, “Innocent Until Birth” which starts with a static-y sound that builds into scratching before exploding with a flurry of a thousand fists, in a chaotic hardcore sound before coming back down to reality. This is the epitome of how the raw aggression and production elements interact throughout the music The White Noise make and it only goes up from there, showing off a stronger understanding of musical composition from the band. Couple that with frontman Shawn Walker who shows off some incredibly strong vocal prowess with his transitions between singing and screaming and the overall instrumentation which offputs an equal level of rhythm, bounce and crunch, and the end result is a distinct sounding album that people will have a lot of fun with.

Even though AM/PM runs on the short side (34 minutes) and contains a track from the EP (“Picture Day”), there’s no shortage of replay-ability due to the cohesive, varied approach The White Noise take with their music. It’s undeniably catchy, has its moments that can induce mosh pits and most importantly, it’s different and original, which shows why it’s not always a bad thing to try new things and expand your horizons. Each song transitions into one another nicely and no one song feels out of pace, resulting in a lasting debut that should catapult the band further into the spotlight, helping them garner the attention they deserve.