Album Review

White Arrows – Dry Land Is Not A Myth

• 14th Jul 2012

Those that concocted the press release for Dry Land Is Not A Myth excelled themselves.

I shall not recount the entire thing here, but I shall explain that it included a lot of buzz-worthy words and made-up genres in an attempt to spin a successful sales pitch for hotly tipped L.A five piece, White Arrows.

And successful it was, if a little try-hard and outlandish, it did give me a sense that this should be a band that would tick all of the right boxes for me.

and they do, they certainly do, but what should you expect from them?

They are a little bit like a lot of bands that I have soft spots for, they have the rich ethnic sound of Crystal Fighters, they have the electro-psychedelia of Animal Collective and Yeasayer, and the vocal efforts and upbeat pop moments are reminiscent of Bombay Bicycle Club and The Macabees.

They are, of course, more than the sum of these parts, but touching upon these bands as reference points should provide a great jumping on point for fans for any of the above, and indeed work the other way too, providing further listening for those that are already fans of White Arrows without having to take up my advice.

The album itself is rarely immediate, instead it is best experienced when left to simmer as atmospheric background music, where it will bubble away as different musical elements come to the fore with each listen, easily standing up to the pleasure of repeated plays, blowing through your day like a welcome summer breeze.

So forget the creative PR drivel, listen to Dry Land Is Not A Myth because I told you to.

.