Stiff (album)

Stiff is the seventh studio album by the band White Denim. It is their first release following the departure of drummer Josh Block and guitarist Austin Jenkins, who left in March 2015 to work on Leon Bridges' debut album Coming Home. Jonathan Horne and Jeff Olson have joined the band after touring with James Petralli on his solo project Bop English. Stiff was released on March 25, 2016 by Downtown Records.

Stiff
Studio album by
White Denim
ReleasedMarch 25, 2016 (2016-03-25)
Recorded2015-2016
StudioEcho Mountain, Asheville, North Carolina
GenreIndie rock, garage rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, Southern rock, soul
Length35:46
LabelDowntown
ProducerEthan Johns
White Denim chronology
Corsicana Lemonade
(2013)		 Stiff
(2016)		 Performance
(2018)

Background

"I wanted to treat this like a debut record. The band’s still called White Denim and it is because that’s what we’re calling it, essentially, but I definitely felt like we needed to go back-to-basics. It was like we write the tunes, rehearse them for a week or two weeks – we didn’t do a lot pre-production – then just bang it out. It was the first time to go in with a producer from the beginning of a record and finish with a producer as well."

— James Petralli, frontman

Release and promotion

Singles
  • "Holda You (I'm Psycho)" — The first single was released along with the album announcement. Art Levy of NPR Music said that the song "simultaneously struts and sprints".[1]
  • "Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)" — Petralli mentioned Curtis Mayfield as an influence behind the soul sound of the track, mentioning – "It really started with me, sitting in my garage, playing around with Pusherman. R&B, in general, is where it’s at for me."[2][3]
  • "Had 2 Know (Personal)"[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
NME[7]
Clash Magazine[8]
Drowned in Sound[9]
The Guardian[10]
Mojo[11]
State[12]
Uncut[11]

Stiff was released on March 25, 2016 on Downtown Records. Mark Demig, who reviewed the album for AllMusic said "The edgy energy that's long been the band's trademark is present in abundance here, which is welcome news since Stiff debuts a new White Denim lineup." and added that "The tone here is frequently playful, especially when Petralli lets his blue-eyed soul accents come forth. But the attack is taut and the force of this music is no joke."[6] NME give the album three out of five stars, concluding "[The group] wear their virtuosity proudly and with each album their brand of bluesy, Southern-style boogie-woogie becomes less obscured by experimentation, although whether or not that’s a good thing is a moot point. This is certainly the kind of music punk had to be invented for."[7] The Guardian awarded Stiff four out of five stars, praising the soul influence on the songwriting – "Live, they may make your knees shake like Robert Plant, but on record the musicianship often eclipses the songs, resulting in a lack of truly memorable bangers. [Corsicana Lemonade] went some way towards changing that, but on their seventh, the Ethan Johns-produced Stiff, they’ve nailed it by embracing soul – or rather, running into its syrupy-sweet waters."[10]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Year Rank
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
39[13]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Had 2 Know (Personal)"4:06
2."Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)"3:53
3."Holda You (I’m Psycho)"4:00
4."There’s a Brain in My Head"3:33
5."Take It Easy (Ever After Lasting Love)"3:26
6."(I’m the One) Big Big Fun"4:16
7."Real Deal Momma"3:48
8."Mirrored in Reverse"4:06
9."Thank You"4:38
Total length:35:46

Personnel

White Denim
  • James Petralli – vocals and guitar
  • Steve Terebecki – bass, group vocals, synthesizer
  • Jonathon Horne – guitar, group vocals
  • Jeff Olson – drums, percussion, synthesizer, group vocals

Live
  • Mike St. Clair – trumpet, synthesizer

Additional personnel
  • Ethan Johns – producer

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 20

Appearances

"Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)" was featured in the reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch.[15][16][17][18]

References
  1. Levy, Art. "Songs We Love: White Denim, 'Holda You (I'm Psycho)'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  2. "White Denim 2.0". Austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  3. "White Denim bring the laughs with 'Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah)'". DIY. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  4. "White Denim release new track 'Had 2 Know (Personal)'". Nme.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  5. "Critic Reviews for Stiff". Metacritic. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  6. Mark Deming. "Stiff - White Denim | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  7. "NME Reviews - White Denim - 'Stiff' Review". Nme.com. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  8. "White Denim - Stiff | Reviews | Clash Magazine". Clashmusic.com. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  9. Harrison, Andrew (2016-03-23). "Album Review: White Denim - Stiff / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  10. Kate Hutchinson (1970-01-01). "White Denim: Stiff review – Austin rockers' most soulful, joyful work yet | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  11. "Stiff by White Denim reviews". Any Decent Music. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  12. "White Denim – Stiff". State.ie. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  13. "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  15. "White Denim Song Used In Nintendo Promotional Video". Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  16. "The Reaction To The Nintendo Switch Is Better Than The Console Itself". UPROXX. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  17. Nintendo (2016-10-20), First Look at Nintendo Switch, retrieved 2016-10-22
  18. "What Was That Song in the Nintendo Switch Trailer?". Kotaku. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
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