Debut LP from Wisconsin hard pop trio White Faces “a dangerous confection”

cover-white-facesIt’s entirely possible that I ruined my knee stomping my foot on the basement floor. White Faces‘ self-titled LP on Windian Records is almost absurdly infectious. Be it the toe-tapping, hip-swaying of “Stand Up” or the aforementioned foot stomping brought on by the likes of “Happy,” this Milwaukee trio is just great.

“Great” seems a little noncommittal, I know, but White Faces are just that sort of band that you listen to, and somebody sees you grinning and nodding your head while it comes out of your headphones. They ask what you’re listening to, and when you try to answer their “How good are they?” question, all that comes out is a bigger grin, a sheepish laugh, and “Man, they’re just … they’re great, you know?”

Do they veer from tuneful ditties to snotty barn-burners a little too abruptly? Possibly. The sudden sonic switch is a trifle unsettling, but it serves to keep the listener involved and engaged, rather than tuning out and letting the record become background music.

It’s totally offset by the fact that even off-kilter swagger of something like side b opener “MY Blunder” is an instant sing-along. Once through the chorus, and you’re singing “You’re my blunder, my moonshine.” It’s pop with a case-hardened knife-edge of punk. White Faces are like rock candy – they’re sweet, but you go at them wrong, and you’re going to end up with a busted tooth. It’s a dangerous confection, this LP, but worth the risk to your dental work.

You can buy White Faces’ debut LP from the Windian Store. Buy it in a combo pack with some of their other new releases from Dead People, Chinese Burns, and the Poppets, and get a bonus White Faces 7-inch.