Since 2016, The Pale White have been drip-feeding us their material in single form. And, although it doesn’t feature on the album, one of those killer tracks is ‘Polaroid’. Here we now are, in 2021, on the receiving end of the Newcastle-based outfit’s debut, 11-song collection, ‘Infinite Pleasure’.

Just going by their catalogue of singles alone, this band is capable. The lads have done their rounds on the festival circuits too, and have also supported The Libertines, Twin Atlantic and The Amazons. So, it’s about time they had a debut to project them forth into the limelight. 

There’s a sort of calm-but-scuzzy concept about the introductory riffs on ‘Infinite Pleasure’, the album opener. It’s certainly got that Queens of the Stone Age quality that we’re all accustomed to from these guys, too. This leads nicely onto the fuzzy harshness of ‘Glue’, a proper rock anthem that filters into the indie style of ‘Take Your Time’, a track that enjoys its base notes from its bass guitar. Very slick. 

’That Dress’ will go down well with fans of The Black Keys, so that gets another thumbs-up, and you might even detect a hint of Tame Impala in the riffs, too. But it’s the grungy, almost synthy sheen to ‘Medicine’ that furnishes this particular piece with its edge, and that’s why it stands out for me. It’s an easy one to rinse, while the other songs are rather polished and refined, but aren’t stuffed with the raw distortions that once forged The Pale White’s original sound. 

Pacy ‘Sonder’ is another playful one to pick out, though if you’re after something soothing and a bit different to their norm, the closing song, ‘Frank Sinatra’, might just hit the mark for you. 

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘Medicine’