The Whigs - 'In the Dark' Review

The Whigs’ In the Dark is a rollicking blast of no-frills melodic rock. A mixture of garage-rock, Southern influences, and indie sensibilities, the third album from this Georgia trio may not be musically substantial, but its energetic, guitar-driven tunes are a great picker-upper.

The Whigs are made up of guitarist/vocalist Parker Gispert, bassist Tim Deaux and drummer Julian Dorio. Those three instruments dominate In the Dark – indeed, this is an album in which barebones thrash is prized over sophisticated arrangements or nuanced lyrics. To be fair, there are times on In the Dark when the Whigs turn down the volume (such as for the moody, soulful opening of “Dying”), but one of this record’s chief pleasures is that when you put it on, the songs hit you with an impact immediately. Throughout, the Whigs give off the impression that they just whipped out these tunes this morning, and the first-take urgency of the recordings adds to their unvarnished enjoyment.

In the Dark’s best songs are unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll fun – they make you want to air-guitar with a frenzy while at the same time banging away on imaginary drums. A prime example is “Someone’s Daughter” – it kicks off with a monster riff before Dorio’s drums assert themselves in the background. From there, Gispert delivers a raw vocal performance, singing about sexual desire, emotional need and guilt in such a way that the three topics are fused into one. The song’s headlong rush is powerful, and if its catharsis doesn’t stay with you after it’s over, that hardly seems like a bad thing. On other high-octane tracks, such as the smoldering “Hundred/Million” and the rousing “So Lonely,” In the Dark brings rock music back to the basics: girls, guitars, and intense emotions expressed in the most forceful and simply ways possible.

The downside to such an in-your-face approach is that it can become a bit monochromatic, and unfortunately In the Dark’s second half is weaker than its first. Perhaps the band decided to frontload their album with their strongest material, but as a result In the Dark starts to lag after its initial blast of stunning tracks. But even at its weakest, In the Dark’s lively bounce keeps things moving along at a brisk pace. It’s appropriate this album came out in March – with their joyfully exuberant music, it’s almost as if the Whigs are heralding the coming of spring and life reborn.

'In the Dark' – Best Tracks:

“Someone’s Daughter” (Purchase/Download)
“Hundred/Million” (Purchase/Download)
“Kill Me Carolyne” (Purchase/Download)
“So Lonely” (Purchase/Download)
“Dying” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – March 16, 2010
ATO Records