No longer together, the abc club’s final release goes out with a bang rather than a whimper.
Map Recordings, 2012
7.9 / 10.0
Ethereal, nuanced and heart warming, NME Breakthrough Band the abc club’s White Lies EP is the follow up to their debut single, ‘Thieving Magpie’. Intimate yet lifting, the Halifax boys keep their feet firmly on the ground while providing affectionate, yet wraith-like indie in the same vein as Pete and The Pirates. White Lies is a strong declaration of intent, as the 4 track EP offers more in its diverse pallet than some modern contemporaries can offer in a full album; encompassing the catchy pop, eerie indie and melancholic folk reminiscent of Bombay Bicycle Club.
Self titled opener, “White Lies” provides one of the most upbeat offerings from the EP, yet Klievens’ vocals and a scratching guitar from Jordan Radcliffe, soak the song’s luminous warmth in a helpless darkness. Zandra Klievens’ distinctively languid yet visceral drawl, echoes Julian Casablancas’ Marlboro coated vocals, (especially on “Grandfather Clock”) and lyrically offers a darker poetry, humor, and grit. And the spirit of the now defunct Leeds’ outfit, The Long Blondes runs deeply throughout the bones of the merry, penultimate track “Scattered Light”. The tenderly picked acoustic closer, “Whitby”, reveals another, slightly humbling layer to White Lies in its reflective and bittersweet ode to the Yorkshire coastal resort. Each track does its best to stay upbeat, but melancholia pervades throughout the EP.
White Lies encapsulates England, managing to find a wry smile on the greyest of days. The EP shows that the band is unwilling to be pigeon-holed yet they’ve just about managed to with much of their canvas still to be used. Unfortunately, those looking forward to more from the abc club, will be disappointed. Within the period of receiving this EP and reviewing it, the band (having completed a short tour of England in May) announced the following:
“Sadly, The ABC Club are no more…we are parting on best friend terms and this won’t be the last you hear from us…we will shortly be releasing a free download of all our unreleased material, singles and acoustic sessions…We would like to thank joe & nick at Map Recordings, Whiskas, Matt Peel, Merlin and anybody else who has helped us and supported us xxx”.
White Lies allows the abc club to not go out on a whimper.
Purchase: the abc club – White Lies EP
