You’d be hard-pressed to find a band in Milwaukee (or Wisconsin, for that matter) more capable of combining crushing, chest-pummeling rock and roll with rousing, radio-ready hooks than Whips. Since suddenly emerging from the ashes of Red Knife Lottery, The Academy Is…, and Father Phoenix and emphatically announcing their presence via 2013’s Year One EP, the quartet quickly garnered well-warranted excitement, which culminated with the release of the band’s debut full-length, Turn It On, at the tail end of 2014.
Unfortunately, the years since that hit-laden effort have been fairly quiet for one of the city’s most rousing rock outfits. However, as Whips was in relative seclusion and only surfaced for oh-so occasional shows, the band was hard at work crafting and recording material for a follow-up. On April 7, Whips will be back and better than ever when The Ride is finally unchained and released into the wild. “Goldmine,” The Ride‘s first single, finds Whips in familiar form. Singer Ashley Smith’s distorted chants command a brutal charge of tight percussion, a swelling wave of bass, and a veritable wall of squealing guitar. If “Goldmine” is any indication of what to expect from the rest of the record, buckle up. You’re in for one hell of a ride.
Prior to Whips’ March 11 outing at Riverwest Public House and April 7 release show at Cactus Club, stream “Goldmine” below and pre-order The Ride from Skeletal Lightning.