Headed up by journalist, writer and actress Mish Way, White Lung is a Canadian band who has been together for about 10 years and has three other releases behind them. Their genre is difficult to explain; the melodic and heavy yet extremely clean guitar mixed with fast drums points to metal and hardcore influences but it’s the fantasy video game synths that really throw you off. This amalgamation of sounds creates quite a unique and interesting sound unlike any other band you can think of.

Speaking in a recent interview, Mish explained “I wanted a record that sounded like it was made in 2016… I wanted each song to have their own vibe and sense of place.” Whilst they have achieved an up to date sound, the uniqueness of each track is debatable. Songs like ‘Sister’, ‘Dead Weight’, ‘Demented’ and ‘Narcoleptic’ feel very similar in terms of instrument arrangement and pace, their meanings getting lost behind a wall of repetitive synth and undecipherable lyrics.

The tracks that stand out do so due to their more melodic riffs and clearer story telling. ‘Below’, for example, has a really simple melody on the verse before crashing into an insane guitar solo on the bridge. This contrast makes the piece a lot more interesting and enables you to appreciate the different elements of the song. ‘Kiss Me When I Bleed’ also has a great riff and is definitely the catchiest song on the whole album; even with its strangely unsettling lyrics “I will give birth in a trailer / Huffing the gas and the air / Baby is born in molasses / Like I would even care.”

A lot of work, time and talent have obviously gone into this creation, and it will no doubt please White Lung’s long-time fans, but as a new listener it is hard to be completely positive. Ending with the title track, Paradise feels like a very short album with some interesting themes but only a few stand out tracks. It does not feel like the best representation of the band’s immense volume of work, but it will definitely do well in their own circles.

Paradise is available from Amazon and iTunes.

With just under week before they release their upcoming album, White Lung have shared the new video for their single ‘Below’

Directed by Richard Bates Jr, the video stars AnnaLynne McCord along with other Marilyn Monroe look-alikes.

Richard is known for his films Suburban Gothic and Excision. 

He said of the video, "White Lung play for an audience of impersonators who come to the realization that they've betrayed themselves in the pursuit of fame. ‘Below’ is a love-letter to influential female artists from the past.

“Our video serves to reinforce the notion that what makes an artist special cannot be manufactured."

The new LP, Paradise, is due out on Friday May 6 via Domino. White Lung have shared two tracks so far from their forthcoming album, ‘Hungry’ and ‘Kiss Me When I Bleed’

On the single ‘Below’, lead singer Mish Barber-Way said: "This is my Stevie-Nicks-meets-Celine Dion ballad, I needed to try to do a ballad about glamorous women.

“It's based on a quote by Camille Paglia, 'Beauty fades. Beauty is transient. That is why we value it,' she said. 'Feminism's failure to acknowledge that beauty is a value in itself, that even if a woman manages to achieve it for a particular moment, she has contributed something to the culture.'

“It's a song about the preservation of glamour and beauty." 

You can watch the video below:

The group are set to tour extensively throughout the UK and Europe this summer. Check out the full list of dates below:

Summer Tour Dates:

May 24 || Brighton, UK - Green Door Store

May 25 || Bristol, UK - Start The Bus

May 26 || London, UK - Victoria

May 27 || Birmingham, UK - The Flapper

May 28 || Leeds, UK - Brudenell Games Room

May 29 || Manchester, UK - The Star & Garter

May 31 || Paris, France - Le Point Éphémère*

June 1 || Liege, BE - La Zone*

June 2 || The Hague, NL - Paard (Small Hall)*

June 3 || Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso*

June 4 || Berlin, Germany - Torstraßen Festival

June 5 || Antwerp, BE - Trix