Like “Judy French,” “Fog Machine” can out-riff (and out-finger tap!) anyone west of Turnstile, and Ryan Hater’s heroically cartoonish synth entrance into the chorus would make Wayne and Garth blush. Otherwise, Asking for a Ride works best when they stick to the old playbook. White Reaper have never been terrific at slower tempos, yet “Heaven or Not” and its sway-inducing, Pretenders-like melodies feel like a suggestion of what a Monster Ballads-worthy White Reaper song could be. There are more successful attempts at power ballads elsewhere on the record.
Album closer “Pages” includes the first prominent use of acoustic guitar in a White Reaper song, but it feels like just another box to check for a band that maybe wants to write its own “ If You Want My Love.” For the first time, I can’t tell if White Reaper even likes these songs-which used to be the whole point. Opening tracks “Asking for a Ride” and “Bozo” sound less inspired by Iron Maiden and more like sleepy karaoke, trying to recapture some of that “ Make Me Wanna Die” snottiness like a 30-year-old heading back to college for homecoming week. The van is a lot nicer, but the destination feels unclear.Įxplaining a riff is like explaining a joke, so it’s easier to take the music and lyrics of Asking for a Ride at face value. But at 29 minutes, this is their shortest album, and for the first time, there’s some filler. At its best, Asking for a Ride confirms that they have evolved from writing songs daydreaming of playing stadiums to writing songs that would sound huge in one. It’s a refinement of the Major Label White Reaper Sound, where the hooks and melodies are undeniable and now include some Kiss-sized muscle. Asking for a Ride is their second major label release and, like its predecessor, 2019’s slick-but-fun You Deserve Love, it’s not a clear step up or back. Even with these markers of success, White Reaper are still White Reaper.
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