Album Review: White Lung - Deep Fantasy

White Lung’s new release Deep Fantasy is relentless and gripping proof that punk is not dead. Enthralling the listener from the opening track, the album doesn’t let up until the final note fades away.

It’s hard to find soul in a genre that is dominated by screaming, fast-paced guitars and crashing cymbals. That is not true for the case of White Lung, however. Lead singer Mish Way never lets her voice be overpowered by the heavy-hitting music that constantly surrounds her. Though she never reaches a scream, Way still commands power and attention as her voice rips through the music into the listener’s ears.

That’s not to say that this album lacks in its instrumentation. Way’s band mates match her vocal intensity with equal passion on their respective instruments. Even in their speed and intensity, the guitars never miss a note, switching tempos on “In Your Home” and hitting screeching notes on “Down It Goes.” On the drums, Anne-Marie Vassiliou is never erratic and tires out the listener with her unyielding pace. The only instrument that seems to be lacking is the bass. Although it is evident on some songs, it can easily be drowned out over the album.

Deep Fantasy functions as a singular piece. Each song blends seamlessly into the next, not wasting any of the albums time with long pauses between tracks. While tempos change within the songs, showing the skills of the band to change speeds so quickly, the album never loses itself in these changes.

Deep Fantasy pumps life back into a genre that, outside of a few other bands, has been lacking in recent years. White Lung gets your heart racing and your head banging.