White Denim: "Drug"

Though D has been characterized as “experimental” in some quarters, for White Denim it represents a focus in their style—especially after the multiple-personality-disordered Fits (2009)—and that focus just happens to involve psychedelic moments and guitar solos. Take note, Akron/Family: cut the noise and get back to the groove.

But don’t let even that lead you astray, dear reader, as there’s nary a shaggy moment in “Drug”; White Denim are far too poised. No vulnerability or cheesy lyrics here, unlike their other, more mystical peers. Instead, with some sly wordplay in the lyrics (which use the titular idea as rumination instead of slipping into romanticization), White Denim are solidly into early Steely Dan territory. Their heroic, distinctive guitar leads are all Countdown to Ecstasy (1973), fast and numerous and never distracting from the song’s overall pop momentum. If the Dan was a melancholy, wiseass meta-commentary on the excessive ’60s, White Denim seem to be making a similar statement about our scattered Internet age. And it makes sense this is an age that Fits already reflected so well: “scattered” is a sentiment that bears repeating.