White Denim’s name may reference the acid-washed ’80s, but on Fits, the Austin, TX, trio’s third full-length, their sound mines the acid-testing ’60s, hard-rock ’70s, alt-rock ’90s, indie-rock ’00s, and everything in between.
But unlike other genre-hopping bands, there is a method to White Denim’s madness. Fits opens with a spooky choral intro on “Radio Milk: How Can You Stand It,” giving way to trashy, frantic, and anthemic rock on “All Consolation,” like an 8-track flashback as rendered by MGMT. The prog-heavy “Say What You Want” shows off Joshua Block’s wicked work around the drum kit, while “I Start to Run” sounds like a lost Clash 45. “El Hard Attack Dcwyw” mixes Zeppelin start-stops and Mexican punk, replete with Spanish lyrics, and a throbbing, pounding bass line on the psychedelic “Mirrored and Reverse” could be from any era. It’s indie rock with a near-perfect amount of irony and attitude—just like their name.
