The year 2014 was pretty damn exciting for hoards of Craig Nicholls/The Vines loyals, with the erratic rocker releasing a brand-spanking new album not to mention performing a couple of live shows that were met with high praise, and now in 2015, it looks like Nicholls is moving into a new direction, well, sort of.
The 37-year old has revealed his new side project White Shadows, a group also comprising of PNAU and Empire of the Sun’s Nick Littlemore, as well as his brother Sam, and this new Aussie supergroup of sorts have dropped their first track ‘Give Up Give Out Give In’.
Upon reading the track title, we were a little confused as it sounded very much like a Vines-typed song name, which as it turns out – is exactly that. ‘Give Up Give Out Give In’ is actually just an additional track for the smashing single ‘Don’t Listen To The Radio’ that was released in 2006 from the record Winning Days, suggesting that this new White Shadows song is not new at all, just a rework of a fan-favourite from over a decade ago.
The White Shadows version of the track has almost if not definitely exact same vocals as the original B-side, however the electro prowess of the Littlemores transforms the original heartbreaking tune to the complete opposite, an almost breezy club banger that could sit comfortably on any PNAU or Empire of the Sun record.
Speaking of the the new project, Richard Kingsmill said that Nicholls stated he had “a collection of songs which he thought weren’t really the garage rock stuff The Vines have been known for since 2000″ which he considering putting out as a solo record before deciding to work with the Littlemore brothers.
This release and collaboration already feels a little bit weird, but adding an extra flavour of strange is that Nicholls is now using The Vines’ official Facebook page as the White Shadows’ Facebook, having changed the name, profile picture and cover photo to promote the new group, posting the following:
What do you think sounds better, the more uplifting, dance-beaten White Shadows retouch or the morose acoustic original? Take a listen to the two here:
