Guest Fresh: Introducing White Miles and Their New Album ‘The Duel’ By Kit Upton.
White Miles – Walchsee, Tirol, Austria.
(Editor’s Note – Kit Upton is an accomplished musician and one we came across during our review of Screech Bats earlier in the year. Following that Kit contacted our newest writer at the time, Jay Graves, who had written the piece on Screech Bats, about submitting some words to MF and that led to this, enjoy!
MS.)
The house lights come up, and the venue starts to empty.
There is a long queue for the headline bands merch table as you would expect. However, there is also a big queue for the main support merch.
This is because White Miles are an absolutely spellbinding live act. The Austrian two-piece are an absolute dream tour support, not just for the compact size on the tour bus, as on this particular tour they have no management, no merch person, or any hangers-on and their heavy Blues and energetic dirty Stoner Rock riffs are enough to please any crowd.
After White Miles have signed countless CD’s and talked to all the new fans they have made from tonight’s efforts, I move round to the other side of the merch table and sheepishly try and purchase their last record. (One I should have bought the year before but has somehow failed.)
‘You’ve got to get the new album when it comes out. It’s going to be sooo good’ saying Drummer, Lofi. The anticipation behind his and Singer/Guitarist, Medina’s, eyes is a sign that their forthcoming album is going to be big.
One thing which was noticeably missing from their 2014 album, Job Genius: Diagnose Madness, was how massive the band actually sound live.
They explain to me that for The Duel, they recorded everything with a live set-up to try and capture the essence of the band and that they called in their friend Micko Larkin, (Hole & Courtney Love Guitarist) to produce the album.
We say our goodbyes for now as they head out to Europe for the rest of the tour.
Its 3am a week later and I’m wide awake staring at my phone, feeling sick. There has been a mass shooting at the Eagles Of Death Metal show in Paris. No one we know has been able to get in contact with either Medina and Lofi to find out if they are ok. The message comes through that they are alive and safe, but other members of the tour party didn’t make it.
Their instruments remain untouchable within the Bataclan venue for weeks to come whilst authorities carry out investigations, grinding the band to a halt.
Flash forward to April 2016.
With several tours already under their belts this year, White Miles haven’t let the devastating events of Paris stop them. In fact, they released a statement saying:
‘We are no silent witness. The horror did not calm us down. The winner’s weapon is music, love and bravery. Let’s share it all together. Peace, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll.’
The Duel was released on the 1st April via Long Branch Records.
The overview of this album is that it’s sound is timeless. This record is a perfect reflection of what White Miles actually sound like live.
It really is a duel between the Guitar and the Drums, but with no victor. Medina and Lofi use every inch of their instruments to the full extent, with extra percussion complimenting the songs perfectly, sitting nicely in the mix.
The first track, ‘Sickly Nerves’, has an acapella start which leads into the crash of heavy sleaze riffs we’ve come to expect from this band. Then with ‘In The Mirror’, both instruments are tight and percussively pleasing with, Medina’s gritty vocal style and catchy hooks making you want to shout along to every word.
The video for lead single, ‘Crazy Horse‘, was filmed whilst they were in the studio giving a behind scenes look at the recording process.
‘Coke On A Jetplane’ signals the halfway point of the record where Medina and Lofi trade vocals back and forth over a more chilled acoustic track, but don’t be fooled, as the phaser covered intro to ‘A(n) Garde’ lures you straight back in with riffs you cannot help but nod your head to in my personal favourite.
‘Heid’ sees Lofi take the lead with a seductively Spoken Word style over palm muted verses, with strong and reverberated drums making the snare sound like a gunshot. The next in-line, ‘Don’t You Know Him’, continues with this vibe but is completely Spoken Word with no musical backing.
Album closer, ‘Keep your Trippin’ Wild sees Medina and Lofi sing in unison for the verses and call and response for the chorus. For me, this is what The Duel is really about, two unstoppable musical forces going head to head to create something so raw, so powerful, yet perfectly finished.
10/10
You can find everything White Miles Below:
- For updates, head to Facebook and their Official Website.
- The bands first album can be found on bandcamp.
- For this release, as a hardcopy and alongside merch bundles via Long Branch Records – Click Here
- For digital versions of The Duel head to Google Play, iTunes and Amazon.
- Long Branch Records can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
We are proud to mention that the band are heading tot he UK very soon so if we’ve sold you on this fine example of the power of two and you are in the UK, you know what to do.
Upcoming UK Shows:
18th May – Proud Camden, London
19th May – The Great Escape 2016 – Brighton
#StayFresh
