White Denim: 12
Just over a decade ago, James Petralli was fronting one of indie-rock’s buzziest and most adventurous bands. But lately, that buzz has largely mellowed, the genre tag is even more debatable and it’s hard to tell who’s in White Denim from one day to the next—or, frankly, if the word “band” even applies. Now, after a difficult stretch that included a global pandemic, career uncertainty and even more lineup shifting, Petralli is back with 12, yet another vibrant song slab expanding White Denim’s musical canvas and cast of characters. You can tell a lot from “Light On”—after splaying out a collage of woodwinds that could pass for a pothead Jethro Tull, the song settles into a jazz-fusion groove with nimble vibraphone and squiggly Grateful Dead guitar. It’s as bright and effusive as any White Denim in years, but the range is staggering and the production strikingly slick. The whole album is a hodgepodge, layered with instrumentation and loaded with guest spots: Petralli has never sounded more like a genuine soul singer than on the heart-tugging “Swinging Door,” even as the backdrop shifts through strings, synths, zither, flute, saxophones and a drum track constructed from the work of four players. After a run of solid albums, White Denim have returned to the top-shelf stuff—from the tongue-in-cheek twang of “Flash Bare Ass” to the caffeinated prog-pop of “Econolining.”
