Sleater-Kinney’s ‘Little Rope’ was hammered into shape by the force of one particular event. Midway through its recording, guitarist Carrie Brownstein lost both her mother and stepfather in a car crash while they were on holiday in Italy.
It is no surprise, then, that the band’s 11th album is coloured by an especially potent kind of grief. Interestingly, it never feels weighed down by it. Instead, it is lithe, beautiful, messy and unabashedly raw all at once.
Although Brownstein was in mourning as it was completed, ‘Little Rope’ is not primarily a mournful record. Instead, it captures Sleater-Kinney in a haunted state of mind as they wrestle with the existential weight of loss.
Hunt You Down has a chill in its bones beneath a prickly guitar line that gives way to an eerie chorus: “The thing you fear the most will hunt you down.” Six Mistakes, meanwhile, buzzes uneasily beneath Corin Tucker’s plaintive cry of “Is it all in my head / The life that I’m living?”
Opener Hell is initially brittle and barren, with its skeletal instrumentation overtaken by a maelstrom-like punk chorus that is equal parts beautiful and intense. Needlessly Wild is an unshackled throwback to the duo’s Riot Grrrl upbringing, while Don’t Feel Right artfully walks the tightrope between self-deprecating and morbid. “Don’t hang out / I’m a real letdown,” Tucker sings.
‘Little Rope’ is a record worthy of an epic conclusion, and its final track Untidy Creature is just that, with smouldering, clastrophobic verses gracefully leading up to a smoke bomb of a chorus. This new era of Sleater-Kinney might be fraught with pain, but they’re as honest, invigorating and insightful as ever.
Sleater-Kinney Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed February 28 2024 - SAN DIEGO California - Observatory North Park (USA)
Thu February 29 2024 - LAS VEGAS Nevada - Brooklyn Bowl at The LINQ Hotel and Casino - Complex (USA)
Fri March 01 2024 - TEMPE Arizona - Marquee Theatre Tempe (USA)
Sat March 02 2024 - ALBUQUERQUE New Mexico - El Rey Theater Albuquerque (USA)
Mon March 04 2024 - TULSA Oklahoma - Cain's Ballroom (USA)
Tue March 05 2024 - DALLAS Texas - Studio at the Factory (USA)
Wed March 06 2024 - AUSTIN Texas - Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (USA)
Fri March 08 2024 - NEW ORLEANS Louisiana - Joy Theater (USA)
Sat March 09 2024 - ATLANTA Georgia - Eastern (USA)
Mon March 11 2024 - NORFOLK Virginia - NorVa (USA)
Tue March 12 2024 - WASHINGTON District of Columbia - Anthem Washington DC (USA)
Wed March 13 2024 - BROOKLYN New York - Brooklyn Steel (USA)
Thu March 14 2024 - BROOKLYN New York - Brooklyn Steel (USA)
Sat March 16 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Racket (USA)
Sun March 17 2024 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Paradise Rock Club (USA)
Mon March 18 2024 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Theatre Of Living Arts (USA)
Wed March 20 2024 - COLUMBUS Ohio - Newport Music Hall (USA)
Thu March 21 2024 - CHICAGO Illinois - Riviera Theatre - IL (USA)
Fri March 22 2024 - MADISON - Sylvee (USA)
Sat March 23 2024 - SAINT PAUL Minnesota - Palace Theatre St. Paul (USA)
Mon March 25 2024 - KANSAS CITY Missouri - Truman (USA)
Tue March 26 2024 - DENVER Colorado - Mission Ballroom (USA)
Thu March 28 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Wiltern Theatre (USA)
Fri March 29 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Belasco (USA)
Sat March 30 2024 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Warfield (USA)
Sun March 31 2024 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Warfield (USA)
Tue April 02 2024 - SEATTLE - Showbox at the Market (USA)
Wed April 03 2024 - SEATTLE - Showbox at the Market (USA)
Thu April 04 2024 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Vogue Theatre - BC (Canada)
Fri April 05 2024 - PORTLAND Oregon - Mcmenamins Crystal Ballroom (USA)
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