Long White Clouds have us falling in love with their adventurous sound in new album, Aeroplanes.
By Graeme Smith
New to our blog, Long White Clouds take their name from the Māori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, meaning ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ in English. Consisting of Andrew James Burch, Nicola Lazzaroni, Matteo Pansa, and Mike Ehlert, the band have a multi-national line-up from New Zealand, Italy and USA. The title of their new album, Aeroplanes, references the way the four came together from across the world.
The album gets off in an expansive way with Ask Me. A soaring chorus is an early statement of intent, rich with soulful vocals and a driving rhythm. The emotion is high, and we are at once hooked by its pop-rock style. Breathing Sunlight gives us some immediate contrast, moving into indie rock territory. Its nostalgia-fuelled lyrics makes it an early highlight.
From there we get funky, swaggering moments like Get A Grip and Creeping On My Social alongside soul-searching in the form of The Decider. Nothingness takes things in an anthemic direction thanks to its slow-building verse and cathartic chorus. In With A Grin gives us some groovy drums and touches of psychedelia before Playing Dead closes the album with some acoustic storytelling. Beautifully ambient, it slowly grows in stature before arriving at a understatedly rousing conclusion.
There’s something about what Long White Clouds are doing that makes their music easy to love. The heights to which their new album take us are dizzying, and well worth the trip. Grab a ticket now.
Aeroplanes was recorded with producers Riccardo Zamboni and Federico Laini. It’s out now via Edonè Dischi, available to buy as a digital album or on vinyl on Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.