White Denim is one of those bands that fall into the rarest of categories, they’re reliably excellent from album to album. It’s the curse of such groups to often flow on by, never causing a ruckus by dropping some absolute clunker or zeitgeist-altering release. Pleasing ears since 2008, the James Petralli-led group has gone through many lineup changes in the intervening years, adding elements of soul, funk, and even jazz to the band’s brand of southern rock as they’ve gone on. With COVID-19 came another change. Petralli’s usual approach of jamming out fresh ideas face-to-face was no longer an option. Locked in, ‘12’ became the first LP that Petralli engineered while also acting as its main producer. Through necessity, the ‘band’ had to mutate into something built off remote collaboration, the songwriter meticulously layering contributions from players he’d often not even met. 

The accompanying press release drops obligatory terms such as ‘hot tunes’ and ‘fresh invention,’ but the mad thing is, despite the circumstances, this is some of White Denim’s finest work. From start to finish, ‘12’ is bursting with melody and energy. On paper, you’d think that a band that first garnered attention with garage rock songs such as ‘Shake, Shake, Shake’ might stumble when it came to creating such lush, pop-infused numbers. Well, assumptions make an ass of you and I and all that. Despite being penned in a time of uncertainty and trauma, the album’s twelve tracks zip on by with a smile. This is an artist at the top of his game, finding joy and release through music. 

—

—

From the opening light-footed grooves of ‘Light On’, listeners know they are in for a foot-tapping time. His signature vocals at the forefront, Petralli leans into the optimistic vibe of the record, reminding fans to “Keep laughing in spite of the darkness / Keep laughing in the faces of the heartless.” They’re wise words delivered with the laid-back charm we’ve come to expect from White Denim. As fun as the opener is, the following number, ‘Ecolining,’ ups the ante and sees the band enter new territory. With its modulated vocals and bursts of flute it sees the band go full ELO and find gold in progressive pop.    

‘Second Dimension’ has the band stay in 70s radio mode, the synth-filled funk track getting real spacey and sultry vibes. Later, the album’s most impassioned moment comes on the gorgeous ‘Hand Out Giving,’ a bitter-sweet love song that builds from a country core to impressive baroque pop. It best showcases how Petralli has managed to keep that earthy core of White Denim and married it with grandeur ideas.

The ‘pandemic album’ has, understandably, become a shorthand for a work of introspection and navel gazing these past few years. What makes ‘12’ such a refreshing listen is what a good time it is. There are some big issues being approached – grief, hope, change – but as ever, White Denim delivers them in a way that makes you want to boogie. An exciting and slightly experimental new chapter for the band and their most cohesive release in quite a while. A late-year stunner.

8/10

Words: Sam Walker-Smart

—