Album review: White Reaper – Only Slightly Empty

It’s always worth keeping an eye on the underdog, that wildcard you already know can do some damage. That said, having been abruptly reduced to a three-piece, and now completely devoid of a rhythm section, this might seem like a strange time for noisy pop rockers White Reaper to be putting new music out.

Turning negatives into positives, they’ve clearly used some of that anguish to inform their new songs. You hear that as soon as they hit you with angrily concise opener Coma. Although a one-off, it isn’t exactly a false dawn. More angst is what you get this time around, frontman Tony Esposito reflecting on recent frustrations, plus other pressures in life that can make being in a band start to look insignificant. ‘With a hollow heart and my lungs inverse / The truth was bad, but the lie was worse,’ he emotes in Blink.

Freakshow and Eraser trot tunefully past; bullish, sprightly tunes that don’t do anything new, but certainly hit pleasure receptors without fuss. Best track this time around is undoubtedly Honestly, a milestone that sees the band tentatively reaching into deeper pockets. A few electronic flourishes actually make you think of Scottish pop rock creatives Dead Pony, and you only wish White Reaper had seen fit to do more than just peep in through that window.

While this album is a fresh start of sorts for the now-trio, they’ve not wanted to stand too close to the precipice. Taking artistic plunges in areas outside garage punk is not for them, but this fifth album is nevertheless a solid half hour of what the Kentucky outfit do best. Although it rarely deviates from expectation, Only Slightly Empty is a bit fuller than the title suggests and still blasts out enough boisterous pop tunes to scythe a future route for White Reaper.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Jimmy Eat World, Royal Blood, Weezer

Only Slightly Empty is released on September 26 via Blue Grape Music