‘White Lies‘ is the latest release from ambient ensemble Post War Years, who have previously produced an abundance of relaxing yet eclectic music to sit back in the sun and plug into. In the title single they have created another for this list, and it’s a pleasure to enjoy. ‘White Lies‘ is alive and inside you as soon as you hit the play button, the lively calypso style beat will have you moving against your will while the rich depth of the track will give your ears something new to explore each time you listen.
Despite this, it is not a “crowded sound”, in fact it’s the opposite, and gives plenty of space for the vocals and lyrics to come through. From the outset snippets of vocal tone are used to create an almost ‘acapella’ accompaniment to the rhythm, the melody of the chorus makes for very easy listening, and vocals are constantly scattered here and there to keep you on your toes.
The pattern of the song works well with all the components building up to the hook, which carries the extremely catchy lyric: “It’s not what you do that makes you tired / it’s how you sleep at night”. With the song then reaching its peak it drops back into the beat, and really the song could happily go on and on without being tiresome to the ear. This is a great one for long summer evenings in the sun.
The second offering on here, ‘Wishes‘ could not be more of a stark contrast to the first. It is stripped down and raw, and the brooding sound will make you reluctant to skip on. It seems the intention here is to create a seductive piece – you will find yourself immersed in the sound, though it does begin to grate after a short time on this occasion. As an individual track it lacks in development or interest, perhaps it is better suited to a film score than a playlist, but then that’s your decision.
Post War Years have created two very contrasting sounds as part of this single, the refreshing carnival feel of the first and the melancholic and understated ideas of the second. This really summarises their diverse approach to music – this tune will have existing fans smiling and plenty of newcomers lining-up.
