White Noise Mafia 'The Divide' single + video review

 White Noise Mafia 'The Divide' single + video review

Introduction 

It’s July of 2020, and the world is suffering in the midst of a globe-scaring pandemic, the likes of which most of us thought we would never experience in our lifetimes. Amidst this chaos, four young musicians in Auckland, New Zealand get together, to write and rehearse some original songs. A year later, in July 2021, those four musicians have become White Noise Mafia. They are one of the most prominent bands of Auckland's local rock scene, they have won the 2020 Ding Dong Lounge band competition, and their debut single & music video, ‘The Divide’ is out for the world to hear on all streaming platforms.


Song

I believe that ‘The Divide' was a great choice of a debut single for White Noise Mafia. It is wonderfully written, and a perfect summary of their sound. The song opens with an awesome riff played by guitarist Matt Holden, who was clearly born to play music and be in a rock band. The rest of the band enters, and drummer Neo Lee, who is often hailed as a child prodigy behind the drumset, launches the listener into a chaotic mess of pure awesomeness. With a raging triplet feel, this song is, in my mind, a high contender for one of the best New Zealand rock songs of 2021.  The heavy intro section ceases, leading into a thudding tom drum beat, and loud, ringing guitar feedback. The relentless nature of the song soon returns in the pre-chorus. This is followed by an awesome heavy chorus. I would hesitantly describe the chorus as ‘radio friendly’ - not because of White Noise Mafia trying to cater to the ‘standards’ of today’s rock radio, but more because of the nature of their sound. Vocalist, Chris Webb, has fantastic vocal abilities, which are balanced well with his screaming, and drop-tuned guitars, drawn from the band's heavier influences. I think this vocal versatility makes them more palatable for a radio setting. 


My personal favourite part of ‘The Divide’ is the breakdown section in the middle of the song. Matt Holden plays a chugging rhythm on a high-pitched guitar harmonic, which is mirrored by Chris’ rhythm guitar. Neo enters with a build-up, pounding the drums thunderously, and with every piece of his being. The vocals of this section closely resemble the style of Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, who are one of White Noise Mafia’s biggest musical influences. Matt plays ascending guitar chords, which make the build up even more suspenseful, until it all stops, and Neo bashes the china cymbal, counting the band into the relentless breakdown. Chris’ roar makes the intro to the breakdown as heavy as musically possible. The breakdown gets a solid five stars in the headbang department, with pounding double bass and vicious guitar chugging. Emerging from the breakdown, an incredible drum fill leads us straight into the final chorus. Following this is a heavy outro (also highly headbangable) and an awesome final scream by Chris as Neo plays the snare drum outro. This song is an absolute slap in the face, packed with high-octane energy and heaviness, which is unsurprising considering the level of talent that White Noise Mafia has. 


Video

The music video for ‘The Divide’ is a band performance video, but with an interesting twist, and a really creative idea applied to it. The band is dimly lit in red light, with a white light in the middle. Throughout the video, each band member gets their time under the white ‘spotlight’. This video can almost be seen as an introduction video to White Noise Mafia - putting the focus on each individual band member. This is also achieved by the white background that each member is shown playing in front of at different points in the video. The filling of the video is shaky and chaotic, which matches the chaotic vibe of the song. During the build-up before the breakdown, the band memes are shown alone, in dim, white light, which contrasts to the flashing, strobe-like red lights during the awesome breakdown. This is an incredibly well planned and shot video, and it is made even better by the talented filming crew from SIS Studios that White Noise Mafia were fortunate enough to work with.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, White Noise Mafia have entered the New Zealand music scene with a bang and sent a vicious message to the world that they are here to stay. I believe they have had a brilliant first year as a band, and they will continue to expand their fan base, and will not be forgotten anytime soon. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spasticity And Stage-Diving: How I Tackled The Mosh Pit With Cerebral Palsy

Image
  Mosh pits are one of the most crucial aspects of heavy music, but having Cerebral Palsy makes it a whole different ball game…  Mosh pits are like roller coasters: an element of danger that is overrun by the sheer thrill of the experience. It is this element of danger that has kept mosh pits active since the early 1980s. It is a very high sensory experience: you smell the beer and sweat spilling onto the dance floor. You hear the deafening music on stage in front of you. You feel the heat of the other bodies leaping around you. All these elements make for a truly thrilling experience. Even if you have Cerebral Palsy. For those who don’t know, Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth. I was born with CP and it affects my balance, speech, and fine motor skills. I was also born, however, with a fiery passion for music. This of course means th...
Read more

Album Review: Cherry Blind - 'Cherry Blind'

Image
  Cherry Blind were one of the most exciting bands in Auckland’s music scene. Their blend of blistering punk rock and heavy breakdowns gave them one of the most unique sounds in the scene. Their new self-titled album sees them explore this signature sound to its very boundaries, and give us just under half an hour of damn good music. This album is bursting with energy from beginning to end.  ‘Papercut’ opens the album with its fast, energetic and aggressive nature. This song sets the tone for the relentless energy to follow in tracks like ‘Drown’ and ‘Burn’. A track that really stands out on this album is ‘Librium’. In contrast to other songs on the album, ‘Librium’ is largely an acoustic song. It’s the vocal harmonies that really make this song great. One of my favourite songs on the album is the title track. Drummer Mark Tohovaka gives this song plenty of energy with his lightning-fast fills around the kit. I also love the marching-style build-up he plays on the snare drum b...
Read more

Single Review: Mesuggah - 'The Abysmal Eye'

Image
  Iconic Swedish progressive death metal band, Meshuggah, have released a new song called ‘The Abysmal Eye’, which is from their upcoming new album, Immutable, due out on April 1st, 2022. This song features Meshuggah’s classic progressive death metal sound, using different time signatures to create truly mind-boggling, but awesomely heavy music.  ‘The Abysmal Eye’ opens with raging, frantic double bass, with the guitars chugging along. The song is incredibly double bass-heavy, the drums being viciously played by Tomas Haake. Famous for his performance on ‘Bleed’ from Meshuggah's 2008 album, Obzen , Haake is often hailed as one of the best metal drummers to ever live. The drumbeat changes briefly about halfway through the song, changing its feel. Meshuggah often use permutations and odd time signatures in their music, which is one of the things that gives them their progressive element. There is a chaotic sounding guitar solo, using tapping, a technique made popular by Eddie Va...
Read more