 | Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine |
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Praise for White Reaper and Only Slightly Empty:
“…a solid half hour of what the Kentucky outfit do best.” – Kerrang!
“…bursts with memorable riffs and melodies.” – Stereogum
“…big, screeching guitars and pummeling tom drums…” – FLOOD Magazine
“…a taut collection of hard-hitting alternative pop songs that deftly combines the band’s many strengths with years of hard won experience.” – Remember The Lightning Kentucky guitar heroes, WHITE REAPER, have released their new album, Only Slightly Empty, out today via Blue Grape Music! Only Slightly Empty is packed with all the distortion and hooks that WHITE REAPER are known for, but also ventures into darker, grungier musical depths with some of the heaviest songs the band have ever penned. Early singles like ‘Blink‘, ‘Honestly‘, and ‘Blue 42‘ drew attention from the likes of Kerrang, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, FLOOD and more, showcasing WHITE REAPER‘s ability to tap into the raw urgency of their earlier work and apply it to ambitious, widescreen songwriting. Now listeners can finally crank up the album in full and listen to one of the best rock releases of 2025. Stream / purchase Only Slightly Empty here
Watch the new ‘Freakshow’ visualiser here |
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 | WHITE REAPER – ‘Freakshow’ |
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| Only Slightly Empty finds WHITE REAPER overcoming a tumultuous few years that ultimately resulted in their most anthemic and substantive work to date. After label upheaval, creative blocks, lineup changes, burnout, and more, the group have created an airtight half hour of undeniably great rock & roll. Self-produced by the band (vocalist/guitarist Tony Esposito, keyboardist Ryan Hater, and guitarist Hunter Thompson) and recorded with engineer Joey Oaxaca (Hunny, Mamalarky, Rocket), the record draws on elements of ’90s alternative and darker sounds without ever sacrificing the infectious power pop core that makes WHITE REAPER so appealing. It’s an expert balance that takes the band in exciting new directions while still feeling more confidently like WHITE REAPER than ever. “There’s definitely a fresh start feeling with this record,” says Esposito. “I even have more nerves leading up to people hearing it–I feel like I did back when we were putting out our first music ever. Everything’s so different now but I have that excitement again.” WHITE REAPER‘s US headline kicks off next week with support from Lip Critic, Worlds Worst, and Dazy. Then in early 2026 the band will head to the UK and Ireland for a run of shows with Militarie Gun. See the band’s UK dates below and find tickets here. WHITE REAPER – UK TOUR DATES 2026
Supporting Militarie Gun
11/02/26 – Electric Ballroom, London
12/02/26 – KOLA, Portsmouth
13/02/26 – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
14/02/26 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
15/02/26 – Beech Avenue Social Club, Glasgow
17/02/26 – Button Factory, Dublin |
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ABOUT WHITE REAPER
For over a decade, WHITE REAPER has been one of modern music’s most satisfying rock bands, reliably reminding listeners how truly rewarding cranked up amps and a good chorus can be. But achieving that kind of longevity is no small feat–it’s a path that’s often full of pitfalls and frustrations no matter how carefree the actual songs might sound. WHITE REAPER have had more than their fair share of ups and downs in recent years and the Louisville, KY-based group’s new album, Only Slightly Empty, finds them overcoming creative blocks, lineup changes, label upheaval, burnout, and more, to push their sound and create the most infectiously entertaining record of their career.“I think we were on this kind of rocket trajectory for a while but we were also really burning out,” says keyboardist Ryan Hater. “With You Deserve Love [2019] we were riding this rollercoaster of what a major label wanted us to do and they were finding success with it. Then the pandemic hit and we were partially like ‘Thank god we can finally have some time off.’ But we had a hard time getting back in the swing of it.” WHITE REAPER’s signature swagger was harder to muster in the midst of lockdowns and uncertainty, and their next album, Asking For A Ride, proved difficult to make. Upon its release in 2023, the band returned to a drastically changed music world where everything that had previously been working now seemed ineffective. “I think we’d sort of found the band in a different place than we’d thought we’d be,” says vocalist/guitarist Tony Esposito. “Not even in terms of success per se, but more like how we’re perceived in the world. I just felt like we were having sort of an identity crisis as a band and I was internalising that.”The band regrouped in 2024, aiming to shake off the rust and start writing a new album, but there were still more hurdles in store. During the initial writing and recording process, they parted ways with their rhythm section and left their label in the midst of corporate restructuring–the kinds of shakeups that have stopped plenty of bands dead in their tracks. But sometimes the only way to regain control is to steer into the skid. “I think all of these different tensions were affecting how I was writing,” says Esposito. “Like I was trying to avoid conflict even in the music. But at some point I snapped out of it and remembered it’s supposed to be fun, so let’s just write some great songs.”With turmoil finally in the rearview, the core group of Esposito, Hater, guitarist Hunter Thompson, and engineer Joey Oaxaca (Hunny, Mamalarky, Rocket, Twen) got back to work with a renewed creative energy. The result finds WHITE REAPER at the top of their game and exploring new musical territory. Only Slightly Empty is packed with the crunchy power pop spirit of the band’s earlier work, but it’s augmented with a grungier wall of sound that’s at times the heaviest and darkest WHITE REAPER have ever sounded–all without ever sacrificing the instant earworm melodies that have always made the group tick. “We did revisit our older stuff to kind of see what made it go,” Esposito explains. “It’s really just melody over chords–that’s the core of it. I think with the last record being written during lockdown, I was just trying to outdo myself writing the craziest possible riffs–versus this time it was more about the songs.” |
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 | WHITE REAPER – Only Slightly Empty
TRACKLISTING
1. Coma
2. Blink
3. Honestly
4. Freakshow
5. Eraser
6. Blue 42
7. Pocket
8. Enemy John
9. Rubber Cement
10. Touch |
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