As the massive, final chorus of first track ‘Is Love’ spreads its wings and soars majestically into inky skies, you get a hair-prickling feeling that finally, White Lies may have justified their own hype. Two years have passed since their debut, but gloomy bombast continues to drive the band’s quest for grandeur.
‘Peace And Quiet’ builds tension via glossy, slow-burning synths, while ‘Bigger Than Us’ is similarly epic. But the euphoria does dissipate somewhat - especially on the sluggish ‘Bad Love’ and ‘Come Down’. They’ve mastered the anthemic choruses; all they need to work on now is the consistency.
7/10
Words by Dannii Leivers