White Denim – Fits (2009) [Full Time Hobby] // Grade: B-

Austin, Texas trio White Denim’s newest work, Fits, is a darker, less melodic companion to last year’s Exposion. Where Exposion (or Workout Holiday depending on your continent) felt like a cohesive work, tied together with lo-fi soundscapes and plenty of vocal nods to the band’s Texan roots, Fits, in comparison, is an album at odds with itself.

The most off-putting aspect of Fits is the odd arrangement of the songs. With 12 tracks on the album, you would expect the upbeat to be mixed amongst the slow and melodic, but this is not the case, and largely why this album feels incohesive. The first half of the album is a difficult listen, with the band’s heaviest, and weakest contributions, namely “Radio Milk How Can You Stand It” and “El Hard Attack DCWYW” taking the forefront.

If you can get past the first few tracks without writing this album off, there are some truly amazing moments to be found. The upbeat, garage-y “I Start To Run” is a stand out, a stunner and should be required listening for every one of these trendy, revivalist bandwagon acts. White Denim is best when they slow it down and not a single one of the many Lo-Fi influenced selections on the latter half of the album disappoint. “Paint Yourself” is nothing short of beautiful, with instrumentation reminiscent of Yo La Tengo’s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.

It’s a shame that Fits is not a more balanced album, because when White Denim are good, they’re really fucking good.