“I want to meet the people who can take it all away”
Live, the Bedford four piece certainly channel a level of danger decreed above on album opener 'Perfect Waste of Time'. It's a difficult task but, can they repeat it on their self-titled debut album?
In short, yes and no! 'Angry Faces' will enthuse Slaves fans but, ultimately, it’s not got the killer hooks of their peers. 'The Only One' has that sound of forced debauchery. It’s not unauthentic, but, it does lack a sense of realness to truly connect.
However, when the shackles are off, real promise starts to shimmer. Former single, 'X21', is one of those alt-pop tunes which could easily soundtrack a summer. ‘Roll Out’ combines pop music sensibilities with the wild poetic side that front man Arturo Cocchiarella portrays live so well.
Arturo's brother, Santino, should be lauded for his consistent high level of big riffs. With the right producer, the magic of QOSTA and Wolfmother seems destined to be repeated. 'Going Down', is his most complete work on the album. The big, but poppy riffs combine with far reaching ethereal guitar parts which lift the Wholls onto a higher plane
At its best, this album is dark, unhinged and full of menacing bluesy rock n roll. At its worst, it walks the line of latter day Kings of Leon. Despite this, The Wholls are a band to track in 2018, the promise far outweighs the negatives.