White Lies comes back in style with a blistering new single. The track titled “Nothing On Me” feels as though it is constantly in motion. It blends post-punk, prog rock and synth pop with a stunning blend of precision and energy that reflects a youthful exuberance while also subtly flexing the band’s veteran status in the UK underground scene. This is music that makes you feel like a teen again. The type of music which has such undeniable swagger it brings a smile to the face of even the most hardened rock purists. 

The fusion of different elements here seems to be done knowingly and with finesse. The band states about its production and recording “The initial musical ideas came from having a synth sequence that is in a different time signature to the rest of the band. This is something I borrowed a lot from the 70’s prog that I love and listened to a lot during the making of this record. I listened to records by Genesis, Chris Squier, Yes, Utopia and Gong who all extensively make use of this in their music. The rhythm is a classic motorik beat borrowed from the krautrock that we all love and is a motif we’ve used a lot across our careers in White Lies. The guitar melody is almost jolly and absurdist like the nursery rhyme or something you’d hear an ice cream van playing. It clashes, I think, to the feel of the music. This is inspired by Steve Hillage and his album Motivation Radio where he often utilizes similar melodies. All of this feeds a cacophony and an overload of information that disorients and confuses. The lyrics reflect the difficulties we can all have in relating to people even when they are close to us, especially in the heat of an argument or disagreement and how overwhelming that can be. This is probably the fastest most intense song we’ve ever written and was further developed in rehearsals, with Seth Evans (formerly of Black Midi) on keys, and then performed in the studio. The foundations of this track are one take played live.” 

The one take energy comes across loud and clear in the performance and lends the song a surprisingly raw feeling despite how polished it is. With this track, White Lies have released a perfect summertime rock banger, a fiery bite sized portion of prog rock and a captivating start to an album cycle. 

You can listen to this track here: