White Denim - Performance

With the sultry and overwhelming strut of lead single Magazine, White Denim’s seventh album promises to uncover a new realm for the band. A decade on from their debut, the band’s reputation for a grinding mixture of blues rock, Americana roots, psychedelia, and progressive rock characterises Performance.

Performance is a record of rises and falls. It’s a record of loops and weaves. It’s both overtly White Denim and carries tinges of the unexpected. There are blinding elements of rockabilly rock ‘n’ roll, blended with the polyphonia White Denim are renowned for. There’s an energy in the percussion, possibly offered by new drummer Conrad Choucroun, an energy that melds well with the band’s progressive-as-always blues-inspired rock. In some parts, there is a hue of glam rock, particularly in It Might Get Dark, with sparks of what feels like T-Rex lighting up the verses. Frontman James Petralli runs the record, his instantly identifiable energetic style characterising each track.