Whitelands have released their second album on Sonic Cathedral, “Sunlight Echoes.” Expanding on their sound from the first release, “Sunlight Echoes” has a very lush production style, with very soulful lyrics and emotional delivery. “Heat of the Summer,” a bright opening track, starts off the album. We can hear those crisp, clear soulful vocals with a Brit-pop upbeat feel. The accompanying music video shows a woman waking up in the morning, and despite it being a sunny day, she instead stays at home being overwhelmed with the current news headlines of negative things happening in the world. The track is followed by “Songbird (Forever),” another great single. Essentially this song has a “pop-dreamgaze” feel, but without all the buried vocals and unintelligible lyrics associated with that genre. This song is very representative of the album’s sound as a whole, and a good single for the band, putting one of their best feet forward to showcase a big core aspect of their sound. The music video builds off the first video in a way, having lots of analog stock footage of nature, paired with the positive aspect of the song. It reminds us of the beauty of nature and life itself, outside of the complex human society we live in. Perhaps it’s the solution to the problem presented in the music video for “Heat of the summer”? We must not forget about the simple beauty of nature and the power of music to transcend the soul.
“Shibuya Crossing” is more of a short mellow artsy song with lots of chorus on the guitar. Beautiful decayed vocals give the track a haunting effect. Waves of sliding guitar zig zag in the background over the mood that resembles a foggy morning crossing a street in Tokyo. “Glance” is another more positive track on the album. The music video showcases a couple reminiscing on past times with each other that are no longer there; or is it the heartbreak for the relationship that could have been, and never will be? All this can be said in a “glance,” another reminder of the positive and negative aspects of our life on this planet. “Wander! Glance! Shudder, entice Crossing the boundary, when your eyes meet mine,” is a poetic reflection on one of the simplest connections we have with others. “Sparklebaby (feat. Emma Anderson)” is an impressive showcase of the vocal range and harmonies of this band. We almost are getting a Brian Wilson moment at some points while listening to the song. The long intro with no drums really showcases the melody and the vocal talent on display.
“Blankspace” is rocking right from the start, almost having a “Ride” feel to it, one of the more driving tracks on the album, with more of a “punk” chorus than the rest of the songs. “I Am No God, An Effigy” is one of my favorite songs on the album. Excellent “dreamgaze” production, tapping into some of those sonic landscapes created by the Verve. Humble, heartfelt lyrics, with a meaningful delivery reflecting on the darker aspects of life, like before in some of the other tracks but with a sense of resilience. There are some great drum moments towards the end with the guitar solo, giving the song a different dynamic on the outro. “Dark Horse” has some nice “traditional sounding” guitar riffs layered over a swirling wall of sound on the chorus.
Whitelands | Songbird
Despite all the good production on this album, the songs themselves are solid, and they could be played acoustically if needed, as they all stand on their own. “Mirrors” features atmospheric guitar creating a landscape, swelling up and down with the dynamic shifts throughout the chorus. There is a vibe of emotional vulnerability reminiscent of some of the early songs by The Smiths. “Golden Daze” finishes the album with beautiful “dreamgaze” guitar showering all around. A great album that is closer to a very well put together album on all levels. Impressed with this release, I would love to check them out live, as I’m sure these songs sound great in front of an audience.
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