White Hills (thrill Jockey, New York)

White Hills newest and most energized recording to date is bursting with raw energy packed into their most concise songs to date. Fear not long time White Hills fans, there is still loads of killer guitar work and fuzzed out psychedelia on Frying on this Rock*. Their highly sought after and deluxe vinyl editions as well as the super limited CDR and 7" releases have made them a band who get talked about as much in reviews as they do on social networks. Their boundless live performances, especially the higher profile ones at ATP New York, Supersonic and several Roadburn Festivals, or their dates with the Flaming Lips and Sleep have established White Hills as one of the most talked about space rock bands currently performing.

Their 2011 H-p1 album topped several UK end of the year lists including one of the world's most influential record stores, Rough Trade. Frying on this Rock opens with an under five minute scorcher and closes with a 15 minute track that reminds us why space rock gatekeepers like Julian Cope were very early supporters.

White Hills is guitarist Dave W. and bassist Ego Sensation. They are joined on this recording by frequent sonic collaborator Antronhy (drummer for Julian Cope) on treatments, synths, and backup vocals, and touring/recording drummer Nick Name. Frying on this Rock was recorded in the fall of 2011, when White Hills dug in at BC Studios in Brooklyn with the help of recording engineer Martin Bisi (Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Swans, Herbie Hancock, Boredoms). Unlike many previous recordings that focused on spontaneity, the band brought new songs to the studio that had been honed on recent European and American tours. Bisi brought his technical expertise to achieve the band's desire for a more separated sonic recording.

The end result, Frying on this Rock, is an invigorating deep space rock album. An album that is at once able to channel the energy born of a collective anger into a swirling psychedelic, brutalising musical statement that mainlines the thrill of defiance straight to the listener's heart.

"With just the right blend of psychedelia and hypnotic grooves, WHITE HILLS weaves in and out of anthemic chants, deep space bleeps and other worldly madness for a mix that proves to be intoxicating. Since the release of the bands debut CD, listeners have been praising their originality and unique brand of heavy space rock. White Hills formed out of the need to forge Space Rock into the 21st Century. The band began as a solo project by Dave W. Since then it has turned into a trio, with Ego Sensation on bass and Lee Hinshaw on drums." (The Guardian)

"White Hills is one of the years gnarliest psych slabs a schizophrenic trip through Acid Mothers Temple riff bludgeon, Boris chug, shaggy pseudo-grunge, and tender bursts of formless noise." Village Voice