White Lung – “Below” (Singles Going Steady)

Chris Ingalls: The attitude and the roots are punk, but the music is too clever and sophisticated for such a simple label. The song’s relatively uncomplicated nature is adorned with a minor sheen of producer’s fuss, upping the ante to where the song has the ability to become a small classic. Mish Barber-Way has a terrific voice, the guitar recalls classic Pixies, and everything seems to click. [7/10]

Emmanuel Elone: While the lead singer of White Lung has exceptional vocal chops, the production of “Below” leaves a lot to be desired. The guitar riffs are nothing new in the realm of indie or alternative rock, and the percussion isn’t as full as it should have been. Strangely enough, for White Lung, who are considered a punk group, “Below” is such a sterile, tame song that it lacks any of the emotional propulsion or rough-around-the-edges aesthetic that makes punk rock so enjoyable. The band’s somehow descended into the ranks of the Linkin Parks and Green Days of the world, bands that might have been “edgy” and “heavy” when you were a teenager but are flaccid and soulless once you discover the Clash, Dead Kennedys, or the Ramones. With the exception of the aforementioned powerful vocals (even if they carry no real energy) and a decent chorus, “Below” isn’t the brash, uncompromising rock song that it needed to be. [4/10]

Marshall Gu: Wherein White Lung slow down a little bit without sacrificing their heaviness, emphasizing their songwriting chops as well as vocalist Mish Way’s vocals – every line here is a hook. One of the stronger songs off their latest LP. [7/10]

Pryor Stroud: “I want to take it all down / Burn in the waste you have found”, Mish Barber-Way declares in “Below”, a glistening indie-punk twilight jam from Vancouver rock outfit White Lung. Her words have a transparent urgency to them, which makes sense given that the song examines what it is like to deal with a looming sense of mortality. Throughout the track, Barber-Way sings like she is grasping out toward her lover, demanding that they share everything — the good, the bad, the viscerally painful, the ecstatically blissful — before they are called “below”, which is to say, beneath the earth or whatever it is the earth is concealing. [7/10]

Chad Miller: Perhaps a little bit repetitive, but that’s not much of an issue when the music that’s repeated is this excellent. Mish Barber-Way gives a really powerful vocal performance over the versatile music. While the song seems pretty pessimistic at first glance, there’s also a focus on the important things in life like togetherness. It can be strangely empowering. [8/10]

SCORE: 6.60