Some bands are meant to be seen live and W H Lung is right up there. The energy that bounces from stage to crowd and back again is electric, especially with dynamic and expressive front man Jo Evans prowling the stage. For their third album, Every Inch of Earth Pulsates, it’s that live experience that W H Lung aim to recreate, bottling and encapsulating the thrill and euphoria of being lost in the moment. They’ve distilled it all down to an album’s worth of dance-heavy tracks. And Every Inch of Earth Pulsates must surely win ‘Album Title of the Year’.
For the Manchester/Todmorden band’s third album, the band relocated to Sheffield to work with Ross Orton (MIA, Arctic Monkeys, Working Men’s Club), to help recreate that live vibe. As vocalist Joseph Evans says, they needed to ‘stop overthinking it’.
Back in the summer, How to Walk was released, a first peek at what was to come – a caffeinated, upbeat, number, heavy on the anthemics and easy sing-along capabilities (Whoo ooo oooh). Guitarist Tom Sharkett echoes Jo’s comment: “He [Ross Orton] was the exact producer we needed without us even realising. His productions and mixes are bombastic, lively and in your face. He brought a real dose of magic to the songs we’d written.”
The album’s opening track, Lilac Sky is infused with elements of their early indie period but brought bang up to date to reflect where the band are now. You can almost feel the smoke machine starting to fug up the room as drummer Alex Mercer Main’s opening staccato beat and Jo Evans’ vocals reach you from somewhere in the gloom, those sonorous, jangly Cure-like guitars and shimmering synths.



It’s a strong opener that leads into a mix of numbers that reflect the band’s various styles. Flowers in the Rain with Hannah Peace on vocals is a dreamy, psychedelia-drenched number. Thinner Wine has shades of Working Mens Club, not too surprising due to the band’s location in the Calder Valley. I’s a gorgeously layered track, propulsive, with shimmering synths and slinky interplay between guitars and bass.
Then there’s the sublime I Can’t Lie, an album high point with its insistent motorik beat and sense of retro drama: Joseph’s falsetto vocals rising over the instrumentation even brings a touch of Northern Soul to this number while its bass and synth drive it forward. And the album closes with I Will Set Fire To The House, a banging track with an 80s feel that scintillates with a euphoric chorus.
Every Inch of Earth Pulsates is yet another bold step forward for W. H. Lung so now it’s all eyes on the November tour.
Tour details TICKETS
16/11/24 – New Century Hall, Manchester
17/11/24 – Mono, Glasgow
19/11/24 – Cluny 2, Newcastle
20/11/24 – Strange Brew, Bristol
21/11/24 – Islington Assembly Hall, London
22/11/24 – Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich
23/11/24 – Bodega, Nottingham
24/11/24 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
Every Inch of Earth Pulsates
Track Listing
1. Lilac Sky 2. Bliss Bliss 3. Thinner Wine 4. Bloom and Fade 5. How to Walk 6. Flowers in the Rain 7. I Can’t Lie 8. The Painting of the Bay 9. I Will Set Fire to the House
W. H. Lung Every Inch of Earth Pulsates released 18th October on Melodic records Pre Order
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