Album review: ‘Ritual’ White Lies

Sabrina Barekzai

Contributing Writer

Pure goth-glam synths plus a general unabashed homage to Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen are clear components to “Ritual,” The second album from London trio White Lies.

The band’s first album, “To Lose my Life…,” debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2009.

A big hit across the pond, the band are relatively underground stateside and the mediocre “Ritual” won’t do much to garner new fans.

Hyped as a band to watch in 2009, White Lies couldn’t live up to thy hype for their second album and fell flat.

Much like “To Lose My Life…,” “Ritual” is a synth-laden ode to love and loss, heartbreak and hope. Lead singer Harry McVeigh’s deep baritone is initially intriguing but boredom seems to set in by the fifth track on the album.

McVeigh has publicly dismissed comparisons of White Lies to band like Joy Division and The Editors and instead insists that their sound is unique.

“Bigger than Us” is the album’s first single (the video for which is a strange homage to the film “E.T.”) and is about struggling to cope with life’s big burgeoning problems, and also the album’s most digestible track.

It seems that a band like White Lies, with such a niche sound, may have dug their own grave. The lack of experimentation on “Ritual” allows them to play it safe but also leaves listeners apathetic.

Grade: D