If you’ve seen White Denim perform then you know that they thrive on stage, so you can imagine how gutted they were when it became obvious their touring plans for spring were not going to go ahead. Rather than feel defeated, they decided to use the opportunity to challenge themselves. They managed to get basic tracking done before Austin delivered the stay-at-home order, and they completed the record while in quarantine and totally apart from one another.
The result is a new nine-track album called World As A Waiting Room, which is released today. Band leader James Petralli says:
“This project was both incredibly liberating and terrifying. Our isolation from one another during recording and the tight deadline created the necessity for more clearly defined roles and more direct and focused communication between the collaborators. For some of us it represented a way forward, for others a way out. I learned a lot about myself through this process and I think it is an important work for the band, captured at a pivotal moment in everyone’s lives.
“Oh, and it wasn’t made any easier by the enduring war I’ve been having with the raccoon who is trying to make his home in my attic throughout all this.”
Given all those viral, physical and rodential issues, it’s stunning how World As A Waiting Room plays like another beautiful set in White Denim’s catalogue. Listen to it below, or buy it from Bandcamp.
