- Label: 'End of the Wall Recordings'
- Genre: 'Indie'
- Release Date: '18th April 2025'
Our Rating:
You know a band have made it to a certain level when they’re on Sunday Brunch. That, or they have really good PR. I don’t mean this entirely disparagingly: I first heard Asylums on Brunch, the same week a copy of their new EP landed through my letter box. That this rather lame show on C4 is pretty much the only platform for new music on TV in the UK is lamentable, but the fact they do showcase acts who aren’t mainstream or on major labels almost makes enduring Tim Lovejoy’s vapid cringe presentation worthwhile, at least some weeks.
Newcastle alt-rock act The Pale White are clearly doing something right, having landed slots supporting Pixies in April and May, and listening to ‘The Big Sad’, it’s not hard to find the appeal. They melt Beatles-like melodies together with summery psychedelic grooves and do guitar-based tunes which are easy on the ear: there’s something about single ‘Final Exit’ that’s reminiscent of Dodgy, with perhaps a dash of Cast. What goes around comes around, and with the mid-90s being a full thirty years ago, it’s probably time. For context, 60s tunes were staples of golden oldies shows in the 80s... do the maths.
‘Wooly Thunder’ offers a tuneful twist on the stoner rock sound of Queens of the Stone Age, and The Pale White certainly present a gutsier sound that owes as much to grunge as it does to indie: sure, ‘I’m Sorry’ is more Bivouac or Bush than Nirvana, but still pisses on Nickelback.
‘The Big Sad’ packs some solid tunes, and for those lamenting the death of ‘real’ music, this is the album you need to hear. It’s real. It’s got guitars. It’s got character. It’s not got autotune all over it. It’s also got real human emotion and quite some range. It’s the kind of album people complain doesn’t get released anymore. So, here it is. Stop your whining.
