(Newcastle, Friday 18th April) Today, Wallsend rock trio The Pale White release their eagerly anticipated second album “The Big Sad”, via the North-East’s own End of the Wall Recordings. The release comes alongside the electrifying brand new single ‘Woolly Thunder’ from the record.
“The Big Sad: an album born from the ashes of dark times, but representing a beacon of light for the future. An album of honesty and purity, one that our current fanbase sonically may not be expecting. The sound of a band that got tired of slamming on the fuzz pedal to tick the ‘rock’ box and dares to try something new, dares to shock, dares to be great.”
This is the northeast calling, with songs of stillness, reflection, renewal, defiance, hope, classic melodies and, at certain perfectly judged moments, furniture-shifting riffs. With a powerful album mixed by renowned rock producer Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Royal Blood), shaped by pandemic-era loss (of momentum, and the departure of a band member), and by the wins brought by what singer/songwriter/guitarist Adam Hope describes as a “weight lifted off my shoulders”. With a fresh, front-footed, fired-up approach that owes everything to a band returning to their roots in Wallsend and Newcastle – and, for the first time, making their music entirely on their own independent terms: self-produced and self-confident.
New single ‘Woolly Thunder’ strikes with a bold riff which reverberates throughout the whole track, fixed with a perfect blend of fuzz and clarity. Raw, gritty and ever-so rebellious, it packs a punch and is a testament to the musical versatility of what the band can create.
Speaking on the single, Adam says “‘I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I’ve said it before’. An old joke my Dad used to throw around. I guess the song is about trying to make someone laugh, who just doesn’t get it. On a separate note, I also read somewhere that they’re bringing the Woolly Mammoth back, so just thought I’d mention it.”
Speaking on the release of the album, the band say:
“As we lift the anchor on ‘The Big Sad’, we also lift a weight from our shoulders. There was a time when it felt like the release of this album wouldn’t come to fruition. A set of songs that largely doesn’t fit the typical narrative of today’s new rock band. But today, this is the band we are. Not the band of yesterday, and maybe not tomorrow. But for now, ‘The Big Sad’ has set sail into the audible ocean, and is a message to all aspiring artists to be nothing short of yourself.”
‘THE BIG SAD’ TRACKLIST
Lost In The Moment
Final Exit
Woolly Thunder
I’m Sorry (This Time)
January, Please
Preparing For The Big Sad
There’s An Echo
Real Again
Trapped In The Vacuum
Interlude
Nostradamus
My Abacus
The Big Sad
Album artwork credit: Joe Hope