On Nov. 5, the newest Call of Duty game, the WWII-based Call of Duty: Vanguard will be out. And thanks to Jack White, it’s sure to have an invigorating soundtrack. 

White released two versions of the energizing “Taking Me Back,” a song about the complicated feeling of giving more than you’re receiving in a relationship; of being in a perpetual purgatory between rejection and unsatisfying companionship. In addition to the theme about sacrifice, the buzzing punk sound and synthesizer make it fitting for a video game.

“Taking Me Back (Gently)”, though more stripped-down, is nonetheless powerful. The bluegrass track uses the vibrancy of the fiddle and ragtime piano to capture a Southern gothic sound similar to that of Colter Wall or Parker Millsap. As described in an article from PBS, White has always appreciated the raw elements of country music, and this song reveals how he can manipulate these elements to fit any song. 

Although the White Stripes singer hasn’t released new music in three years, he’s still been working on projects. In 2019, for example, he performed at a Bernie Sanders rally, he recorded a song with Jack Black, and in 2020 Third Man Records released a 20th-anniversary version of De Stijl, the White Stripes’ second studio album. 

On Sept. 25, White performed his first full-length performance in over two years to celebrate his independent record label, Third Man Records, opening a record store and live venue in London. According to an article from Consequence, White played every instrument on “Taking Me Back” and self-produced it through Third Man’s studio in Nashville, encapsulating the artist’s many talents. 

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat