Sometimes the hardest thing for a band is to survive having done “everything right.” For White Reaper, their fifth album ‘Only Slightly Empty’ arrives as both a reclamation and a reckoning. Their reputation as a consistently high-floor outfit has long been established. They’re the kind of band you trust to deliver sharp hooks and punchy rock songs. It marks a clean slate for the Kentucky group, now playing as a three-piece following the departure of the rhythmic duo, Nick and Sam Wilkerson, and with a new label. Where 2023’s ‘Asking For A Ride’ is seen in hindsight as an identity crisis for White Reaper, ‘Only Slightly Empty’ comes off as a leaner offering.
‘Blink’ and ‘Coma’ quickly distil everything that makes White Reaper tick; urgency, grit, and irresistible choruses. For the most part, they’re able to maintain the momentum. Whether that’s on ‘Honestly’s driving guitars and Ryan Hater’s ping-ponging keys or ‘Freakshow’s bold guitars. Alongside ‘Eraser,’ they’re able to do nothing out of the ordinary, yet deliver earworms.
Across ten tracks in just 33 minutes, they deliver some of their most immediate and refreshing songs to date. Even when there is a slight change of pace, like on ‘Blue 42,’ they tonally keep the crushing fuzz that threads itself throughout the record. Whereas ‘Pocket’s new wave reverb guitars add a neon shade to White Reaper‘s brand of melodic garage/alt-rock. It allows Hunter Thompson’s guitar to shimmer, while Tony Esposito once again wraps his voice around favourable melodies.
Not everything pays off. ‘Enemy John’s steady tempo and forgettable melody comes off as tiresome. Likewise, the final track, ‘Touch,’ suffers from its resolute tone and acceptance of the end. Thankfully, ‘Rubber Cement’ is sandwiched in between, offering one more blast of hook-laden garage rock.
Ultimately, ‘Only Slightly Empty’ allows White Reaper to refocus their sound and purpose. It offers a handful of standout songs, partly due to utilising reliable melodies. Yet stylistically, it doesn’t make the trio leap out from their peers, who are pulling off the same melodically driven and punk-infused garage rock.
‘Only Slightly Empty’ by White Reaper is released on September 26th on Blue Grape Music
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