White Lies

Emerging from Britain with a shadowy aesthetic, White Lies draw inspiration from post-punk forebears such as Joy Division, the Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & the Bunnymen. Their deep allegiance to that U.K. lineage prompted the trio, who first surfaced in 2008, to sign with Fiction Records, the Polydor subsidiary famed for its 1980s catalog by the Cure and the Associates. Propelled by the single "Death," their 2009 debut To Lose My Life... topped the U.K. chart; Ritual in 2011 and Big TV in 2013 both reached the U.K. Top Ten. Although driving post-punk stayed central, later releases including 2016's Friends, 2019's Five, and 2022's As I Try Not to Fall Apart revealed a more layered and melodically assured maturity.

While studying in West London, singer/guitarist Harry McVeigh, bassist/lyricist Charles Cave, and drummer/keyboardist Jack Lawrence-Brown launched the band in 2004 as Fear of Flying. They issued two neo-Brit-pop singles on Young and Lost Club in 2006—"Routemaster," produced by Brit-pop veteran Stephen Street, and "Three's a Crowd"—before shifting direction, adopting their current name, cultivating a darker collective image, and crafting brooding songs such as the funereal murder ballad "Unfinished Business" and the plainly titled "Death."

After unveiling the Nick Cave-like "Unfinished Business" in April 2008, the group made their television debut on Later with Jools Holland and entered the studio with producers Ed Buller and Max Dingel. "Death" appeared as a single in September 2008 alongside the trio's inaugural U.K. headline tour. Their first full-length, To Lose My Life..., arrived the next year and entered the U.K. charts at number one. An extensive world trek followed, taking them across the U.S., Europe, and Japan while playing major festivals including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and Coachella. The demanding schedule hampered new writing until a stadium run supporting Muse allowed them to regroup; the resulting second album, Ritual, emerged in early 2011. Lifted by the single "Bigger Than Us," it peaked at number three in the U.K. and number 14 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart in the United States.

Following a prolonged break from the road and studio, White Lies issued their third album, Big TV, in 2013. Reuniting with producer Buller, the set included the singles "There Goes Our Love Again" and "First Time Caller," reached number four on the U.K. album chart, and earned favorable notices. Three years later came the self-produced Friends, tracked at Bryan Ferry's private studio in Kensington, West London; a European tour filled the autumn and winter of 2016. The aptly titled Five appeared in early 2019, with Ed Buller and Alan Moulder contributing production and mixing. Subsequent dates spanned Europe and the U.K. until COVID-19 halted plans in 2020. Concentrating on new material, the band recorded their sixth album once more with Buller; As I Try Not to Fall Apart was released in early 2022.