The White White Lights’ upcoming debut EP Medium Head Boy suggests the experimental indie rockers have what it takes to outshine their contemporaries. From eerie vocals to danceable rhythms, the band has deservingly catapulted into the spotlight already, receiving attention from sources such as SPIN and The Onion’s A.V. Club.
According to guitarist Deluxe Peroux, who at first said the band’s sound is like “Tom Waits sodomizing Blondie with a fuzz pedal,” Sonic Youth has had a major influence on the band. “Dirty was one of the first CDs I had. In starting this band, I wanted to get back to what I loved in my childhood. I wanted to feel like 12-year-old me could be proud of the music I’m making,” he said.
With a sound similar to the likes of not only Sonic Youth but also The Pixies and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, lead singer Jenny Gacy drives the band’s tendency to make you crave more and more of the catchy yet haunting aura TWWL has to offer in their 6 track debut, which covers topics including seduction, loneliness and aliens. Album highlight (and TWWL’s favorite to play) “Space Invaders” has the sort of synthesizing energy that is bound to spread like wildfire, while “It’s Cold Here in Japan” is a slow and vulnerable ballad held together by a xylophonic backbone.
Together since 2008, the band has had the chance to play live many times in their home city, although this Saturday’s show at Emo’s will be their first with a release in hand.
“We’ve had the fortune of playing at most major Austin rock venues like The Parish, Mohawk, Stubb’s, Emo’s (inside and outside), Beauty Bar, and even non-traditional spaces like Blanton Museum,” Gacy said. “We played our first shows at Beauty Bar and we still love the feeling of playing in smaller spaces as close to the audience as possible. Emo’s is great in that sense; you feel very connected to the audience.”
On the brink of releasing Medium Head Boy this Saturday, February 27, TWWL have a number of shows lined up, including a few spots during SXSW. The four-piece are also set to roll out a full-length album in April, so it’s safe to say that TWWL will definitely be a band to watch this year.
With the level of passion and self-described honesty that speaks through the new record, TWWL could just be the next big thing out of Austin, according to Gacy.
“We’re honest. We keep our recordings as live as possible; we don’t mask our imperfections. We glorify them.”
Check out The White White Lights this Saturday, February 27 at Emo’s and see what all the hype is about.
–Melanie Wolfson
(Photo: Daniel Perlaky)