3 minute read
THE PALE WHITE
by narc_media
Image by Fiona Garden
CONOR ROY TALKS TO THE NEWCASTLE BLUES ROCK TRIO ABOUT THE RELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT ALBUM
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The Pale White’s hotly anticipated debut record Infinite Pleasure finally arrives this month. It follows a staggering run of 15 singles and two EPs, which have propelled the indie/blues rock trio from the upstairs of their local pub to sold out tours of the UK and Europe alongside The Amazons and Sam Fender.
The band’s ever-growing fan base have been crying out for an album and speaking about the timing of this record, vocalist and guitarist Adam explained: “If we weren’t putting it out now, it would have been premature and wouldn’t have been the album it is, the album that we are proud of. Songs get old fast which is why we wanted to make it mostly new material.”
On Infinite Pleasure the band explore society’s desire for hyper-consumption, providing the thematic backbone of this could-be concept album. Having sat on the idea from an early 2018 voice memo, Adam opened up about the direct influence. “I first thought of it when I watched the Man On The Moon documentary with Jim Carey; I was struck by his whole outlook on life, he’d achieved everything he could ever imagine and still didn’t feel that fulfilment. We can spend our whole life chasing materialistic stuff or wanting to get to a certain place and then we get there and it’s like, what now?”
This a deeply personal record for a band that often wear their influences on their sleeve. Comparisons to Interpol and Queens Of The Stone Age continue to shine on Glue, Infinite Pleasure and Medicine, featuring shimmering lead riffs, devastating drum tones and surging bass lines. The signature sound is also supplemented with a refreshing maturity and an element of risk taking when pulling this record together. When discussing the new approach Adam said it came from “having the opportunity to do things you’ve not been able to before. It’s not a three-minute single that needs to be on a playlist, that needs to be cut here and there. It was our producer, Jolyon that actually gave us that mindset. He was like, ‘do whatever the fuck you want’.” This willingness to push themselves really shines through on tracks like Anechoic Chamber Blues (a beautiful track worthy of the Submarine soundtrack) and Sonder (think The Hives meets Jack White).
Discussing the latter, bassist Tom recalled: “We had such a laugh recording that song, it’s like we were almost daring each other like ‘that guitar tone isn’t radge enough’, we were deliberately egging each other on.” When it comes to the response they’re hoping to get from fans, for Adam, the outro on album closer Frank Sinatra is a high point.“That’s the moment for me. It’s euphoric and it’s got Beatles-esque harmonies going on, it’s a bit psychedelic and I don’t think anyone will be expecting it. I’m really proud of it.”
With the release of Infinite Pleasure being such a long time coming for the band, Adam retrospectively offered some advice to their former selves and artists looking to follow their path. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve spent years taking myself so seriously and thinking it’s the end of the world if something goes slightly wrong. What you’re worrying about now you won’t necessarily be in a year’s time or even a month’s time.”
The Pale White release Infinite Pleasure on 23rd April www.thepalewhite.com
