Throughout 2026 the sound of White Rose Motor Oil has cut across the general industry noise that anyone involved in the activity of opining, covering, appreciating and writing about new music has to plough through. I am talking about all the machinery that perpetually feeds generic AI salivating slop our way with the intention of conning us into believing this conveyor belt is spilling out essential groundbreaking new sounds. Most of these acts would crap themselves if they were pushed anywhere near a live stage without the safety net of a backing tape and a vocal autotune, the nearest they get to an act of rebellion is neglecting to put a product placement in their lyrics. And yet, in the debris of all this shite I frequently come across something real, a raging noise that has not been consumer checked by a focus group after a box ticking ten person writing committee have watered down any trace of passion but instead is born out of honest pulsing anger. This band have been drip feeding a pathway to this full album release all year and every time a song has dropped, the reaction it stirs in me is one of a need to pay attention. There is an urgency here, a rawness and an energy in work that clearly comes from someone with something to say and a desire to get it out in the most direct way possible. There is no sanding down of the abrasive edges, no tiptoeing around flowery language, just a straightforward slam-dunk to the head and the heart.

But do not be fooled into thinking this all about the guttural rage of a bunch of angry punks, there is so much more going on here. Yes, this husband-and-wife duo comprising Eryn DeSomer on guitar and vocals alongside Keith Hoerig-DeSomer on drums do declare themselves an AI free zone out to wrestle you into submission with their rocking volume and energy but scratch the surface and there are layers of subtlety and intrigue. This is music with a country edge, a rockabilly kick in its beat and the kind of songwriting chops that appreciate the power of a killer melody. These are great numbers that do not depend on electricity and volume but thrive on them all the same; everything here would stand up if re-interpreted in a slower acoustic setting because they are truly well written songs. Not that White Rose Motor Oil sound like they are thinking of doing this, they let an acoustic guitar slip through the net on the poignant study in grief of album closer ‘Blue Sky Somewhere,’ the voice of Eryn as a toddler with her parents stirring memories of a more innocent age, but that is the only time. The greasy cranking noise they produce is exactly what you would hope to hear from a Denver band with that name; they may claim in the song ‘Nothing’s Easy From Denver’ (inspired by the detachment they felt planning tours from such an out of the way starting point) but I can assure you, getting into the music of Eryn and Keith is as easy as putting your pedal to the metal on a clear open road.

I see this as the most thrilling of calling cards, a ten-song joyride where every song can justify its place. The pleasure is in the end product for sure, but that does not mean that the source was all coming from a happy place. Take the pounding ‘HIT IN THE FACE!’ (the caps font a deliberate emphasis on the anger in the lyric), this is a fighting song that goes out to everyone feeling a raging frustration at the state of current affairs, not so much an instruction to go out inflicting violence on people, but definitely an accurate articulation of the feelings of needing to let out pent up anger; “I’d rather be woke than fast asleep” is a fantastic lyric too. This urgent need to emote and scream is the glue that stitches everything together, another great example being the narcissistic billionaire baiting heard on the passionate and defiant ‘You Can’t Take Me Down,’ a song that knows the power in a no-bullshit frantic chorus repeat. There is a sideways nod to a few underground heroes of the past embedded here too; ‘Up To The Top’ is a brilliant answer song to the Violent Femmes classic ‘Country Death Song’ sung to women survivors everywhere, picturing a scene where the daughter thrown into the pit in the original song climbs back out. The moody trebly guitars of opener ‘Knives’ suggest a love of Lynchian cinematography while the albums title track is an affectionate homage to garage punk legends The Cramps. In essence though, ‘Spider’ is a record that needs to be heard by anyone with a hunger for something real, pure and honest in 2026; that and anyone who loves loud and fast country rock that is unafraid to swing hard.

Danny Neill

You can get yourself a copy of the album via this link: https://whiterosemotoroil.bandcamp.com/