Best New Tracks - Pitchfork: White Lung: "Hungry" |  |
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Posted: 24 Feb 2016 08:00 AM PST
In the press materials for their upcoming LP, Paradise, White Lung's formidable frontwoman Mish Barber-Way tells St. Vincent's Annie Clark that "There's this really stupid attitude that only punks have where it's somehow uncool to become a better songwriter." This is a particularly prescient statement in light of "Hungry"—Paradise's blistering lead single. While previous White Lung tracks often balanced a slowly burgeoning pop sensibility against messy, screamy, unbridled aggression, "Hungry" leans heavily on the former—a three-minute contained explosion of darkly melodic power pop that favors finesse over noise. "You are never safe from yourself," warns Barber-Way, as the song barrels ahead. Propelled by ringing guitars and Cure-appropriate backing synths, the track is a tightly-wound, catchy-as-fuck invective played at a polished, breakneck velocity.
It's fitting that a band ostensibly teetering on the edge of a major breakthrough would lead with a single like "Hungry." Lyrically and in sound, it seems to address the frequent conflation of an abject hunger for fame and the more basic human desire to simply be seen and heard. To that end, "Hungry" captures a band deftly navigating the perils of aging punkdom—acknowledging that accomplishment doesn't necessitate compromise while still nodding at how any kind of celebrity can chew you up. "It's the only goal," sings Way, "Watch it all break, swallow you whole." It's a conundrum the band smartly addresses by casting criticism on basically everyone, but namely on themselves. "Baby, you're weak. Baby, you're starving," sings Way, before also checking herself. "The star will melt, but we're all hungry for it."  |
