The Pale White – The Big Sad Album review by Rob Johnson
Newcastle natives The Pale White arrived on the scene with a couple of demos way back in 2016 before releasing their well-received first album proper, Infinite Pleasure, in 2021. While that album was undoubtedly indebted to Queens of the Stone Age and Royal Blood (through the filter of ‘90s grunge and alternative), the Wallsend trio are still very much their own thing.
Their 2025 sophomore album, The Big Sad, kicks off with ‘Lost in the Moment’. A deceivingly slow start that abruptly comes to an end when the stomping riff kicks in. This is a statement of intent – music designed for massive venues. ‘Final Exit’ sounds like late era Oasis, and while I imagine it would sound great in a sun-speckled beer garden, it’s a bit plodding under normal circumstances. ‘Woolly Thunder’ is better. Frontman Adam Hope’s vocal is assured and heartfelt against the backdrop of an insistent riff.
It’s not all blistering guitar music, though. ‘I’m Sorry offers a welcome change of pace with its grungy, loud-quiet-loud dynamic, which recalls both Wunderhorse in the modern era and Black Sabbath from the past, especially in the chorus. The sonic experimentation continues on ‘January Please’, with its pretty acoustic intro that leads into 60s-inflected balladry before changing again into a barroom Beatles-esque stomp.
‘Real Again’ hints at the lyrical angst that permeates throughout the album with Hope intoning ‘I just wanna be real again’ while his brother Jack provides his best work of the record with some devilish drum fills over a squealing guitar solo that Matt Bellamy would surely be proud of. ‘Trapped in the Vacuum’ is sadly not a forlorn ballad from the point of view of a spider but a mid-tempo rock chug that meanders along nicely enough without ever really taking off.
The album closes out with ‘My Abacus’, the most straightforward song on the album with its pop/punk verses and ‘80s rock chorus and the title track, which adds a welcome dose of sweeping orchestral strings to the proceedings. When Hope blankly laments ‘I’ve got something in my head/That makes me wanna be sad’ it captures the general air of melancholy that defines the record.
While The Pale White are still wearing their influences on their sleeves, The Big Sad suggests that they are ready to strike out on their own.
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