The Whip Issue #39

X Marks Destination

By Carlye Wisel
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 3:44pm

The four Brits comprising the Whip may be approaching their transatlantic album debut, but it already seems that they’ve nearly mastered the perfect party hit back home. “Trash,” X Marks Destination’s stand-out single, strikes with seductive vocals that continuously egg on an electrifyingly upbeat chorus, proving itself as nothing short of an insatiable listen — a jam fit for nights in dark clubs, dancing under flashing lights with beads of sweat and mussed up hair.

On the album as a whole, “Fire” and “Blackout” are the clear silver and bronze to “Trash.” While similarly invigorating as their counterpart, they seem to only be knocked down a notch for being less obtrusively upbeat. In fact, it works that way with most of the Whip’s music: stunning when pumping, but close to falling short when softer around the edges. Tracks like “Sirens” and “Sister Siam” are well constructed, but noticeably calmer and almost fade into the background, partly considering how fitting they are for a sweeping, cinematic view on television.

In a post-post-Daft Punk electo-pop world — where Justice’s hits have been hot for so long that they’re old and Friendly Fires, among others, have begun to climb the American ranks, the Whip could stake its claim with this release: addictiveness and universal fun melding to form next-big-thing status. “Divebomb” is as much of a hit as the rest of these pounding tunes, promising the Whip’s success and ensuring its place on this year’s party playlists.