White Riot - Take Me Away

What's this? White Riot?, a surprise drop of a fresh single? Nice!

 


White Riot's new track Take me away is everything you want to warm you into the summer. A departure from the aggressive sound of their previous releases, Take Me Away is prime evidence for their versatility as musicians with a throwback sound to that 90's indie goodness. Despite the softer sound, the punk angst is ever present in the lyrics. Frontman, Evan Phillips' vocals carry a sense of desperation; you only need to look at the title of the song to know its about wanting to be away from the place/situation of your present. And with lyrics like 'I'm miserable here, and I cant really disappear. Please wont you take me away' its hard not feel the very personal place they come from.

However ,The overall sound is summery and quite hopeful. The melancholic lyrics are juxtaposed against bright chord progressions and a bouncing slow bass which rocks and grooves throughout the track giving it a danceable quality. Wether it's the distortion around the chorus or the audible snap of the plectrum as it hits the strings with force, there's a sense of brooding angst beneath the summer feel. This angst escapes in bursts every now and then with impassioned licks from an overdriven lead guitar part, as if it were barely containable at any other point. As we hit the climax of the track, we're hit with the full force of the lead guitar which when paired with the now belted vocals of Phillips makes for an awesome, triumphant conclusion - in a moment that feels like it was teased from the opening chords.

Dom Waters