White Reaper clears the air on vivacious new single 'Fog Machine'
White Reaper has made steady progression from high-energy indie darlings to full-on world-dominating power pop without shedding a bit of the scruffy charm and jagged edge that made their earliest recordings so magnetic. With a new album releasing in early 2023, the band is back with a fresh single that easily reminds why they're hands down the World's Best American Band.
White Reaper's penchant for delectable power riffs cranked past 11 is on full display, with their characteristically riotous rhythm section hammering away with unbridled enthusiasm. The band doesn't stray too far from their established formula but when the final product is so inherently strong there's no need to mix things up too much, it's familiar territory but unquestionably high quality. "Fog Machine" is possessed of a slightly harder edge than White Reaper typically hones their compositions to, adding a muscular crunch that positions the track well as an early single, immediately capturing attention with electric vivacity.
"Fog Machine" conceals heady concepts beneath its high-gloss instrumentation, ruminating on the aftermath of failed relationships obscured by the interpersonal fog of war that creeps in to fill the vacuum left behind in the rapid venting of healthy communication. "Had my heart attack and after all I saw I think I need my money back" is a potent barb loaded with disillusion that hits like a ton of bricks, recalling the busted-up sentiment of Ben Folds Five's "Song For The Dumped" but delivered from behind the blacked-out, too-cool lenses of a shiny new pair of Wayfarers. In typical White Reaper fashion the hook on "Fog Machine" is absolutely colossal, packaging an entire track's worth of energy and emotion into a single line shout-along anthem for the jilted and jaded: "when my phone rings, can't wait to hear what you say - left me hanging in the first place."
Comprised of a rapidly shifting series of conceptual vignettes, the video for "Fog Machine" illustrates the track's core ideas interspersed with performance footage that drives home just how skilled of showmen these boys from Louisville truly are. High contrast visuals snap back and forth from HD to Super 8 style cathode-tube fuzz, as if the social media sheen is being torn away before our eyes to reveal the truth behind the filter. Complication and contests, doorways and keyholes, and constantly changing rules abound; a series of challenges and opportunities obscured by the voluminous theatricality of a fog machine that hides the impeding pitfalls in spectacular fashion.
White Reaper's forthcoming album Asking For A Ride releases on January 27. Pre-order or pre-save the album here. Stream "Fog Machine" on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram.
2023 Tour Dates
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Tue, FEB 7, 2023
The Burl - Lexington, KY
Thu, FEB 9, 2023
Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
Fri, FEB 10, 2023
Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH
Sat, FEB 11, 2023
Delmar Hall - Saint Louis, MO
Mon, FEB 13, 2023
Houston Warehouse Studios - Houston, TX
Tue, FEB 14, 2023
Scoot Inn - Austin, TX
Wed, FEB 15, 2023
Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
Fri, FEB 17, 2023
Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
Sat, FEB 18, 2023
Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ
Sun, FEB 19, 2023
Music Box - San Diego, CA
Tue, FEB 21, 2023
The Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Wed, FEB 22, 2023
August Hall - San Francisco, CA
Fri, FEB 24, 2023
Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Sat, FEB 25, 2023
The Crocodile - Seattle, WA
Sun, FEB 26, 2023
Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, Canada
Thu, MAR 2, 2023
Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO
Fri, MAR 3, 2023
Waiting Room Lounge - Omaha, NE
Sat, MAR 4, 2023
Madrid Theatre - Kansas City, MO
Mon, MAR 6, 2023
Woolys - Des Moines, IA
Tue, MAR 7, 2023
Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI
Wed, MAR 8, 2023
Saint Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
Fri, MAR 10, 2023
Metro Chicago - Chicago, IL
Sat, MAR 11, 2023
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern - Cleveland, OH
Sun, MAR 12, 2023
Mr Small's Theatre - Millvale, PA
Tue, MAR 14, 2023
The Opera House - Toronto, Canada
Fri, MAR 17, 2023
Irving Plaza - New York, NY
Sat, MAR 18, 2023
Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Sun, MAR 19, 2023
Royale - Boston, MA
Wed, MAR 22, 2023
Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Thu, MAR 23, 2023
Hell at The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Fri, MAR 24, 2023
The Basement East - Nashville, TN
Sat, MAR 25, 2023
Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY