THE WHIGS
In The Dark
(ATO RECORDS)
[Rating: 4 stars]
On the heels of an explosive year, The Whigs have released their third album, In the Dark. Powerful, gritty and headbangingly sincere, In The Dark is a superb album, full of garage-rock funk with melodies to sing along to.
In The Dark showcases a new turn for the band; while they have maintained their Southern garage rock roots, this time ‘round their sound has more depth and thought since the trio released 2008’s Mission Control. In The Dark does exactly what the title conveys- delves into heartache, confusion and all the discourse that comes with everyday interaction. “How’m I gonna see/ where you’re coming from/ if you keep keeping me in the dark?,” from the title track, sets the tone for the subject matter to follow.
In the age of the electronic liner notes and iTunes downloads, many new artists ignore the dying art of song order on new albums. In The Dark opens with “Hundred/Million,” an uptempo track that somehow manages to be gritty and catchy at the same time. The album effortlessly captures The Whig’s high energy live performances, peaking with the lead single, the anthemic “Kill Me Caroline.”