Sleater-Kinney’s 2019 album The Center Will Not Hold attempted to modernize the band’s sound by, for one, enlisting St. Vincent as producer. Following the departure of drummer Janet Weiss, remaining members Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein’s self-produced follow-up, Path of Wellness, felt like a course correction—more in line with their established sound, if lacking the grit that characterized the band’s early efforts.
Little Rope leans even more toward hard rock, with an emphasis on dynamics. It’s an approach that’s apparent from the opening “Hell,” whose desolate musings—“Hell is just a signpost when you take a certain path”—are delivered almost a cappella. Guitar feedback swirls ominously, mostly on the first beat of each bar, highlighting the confusion and upset of the lyrics. The song’s chorus serves as a cathartic, if ambiguous, release, with Tucker unleashing a mighty riot grrrl roar over thunderous drums and guitar: “You ask why like there’s no tomorrow!”
Producer John Congleton does a fine job of further amping up the arrangements. “Six Mistakes” is the most glorious example of racket-making on Little Rope: The track’s instrumental break grows in intensity as distorted guitars battle it out, gradually building to a deafening crescendo before the chaos is stripped away and the song’s five-note riff is reprised on piano.
Little Rope is dedicated to Brownstein’s mother Linda, who was killed in a car accident while the album was being recorded, and the band has talked about how the songs are shaped by grief. Indeed, “Hell” boasts some hard-won wisdom about life after the loss of a loved one, while “Don’t Feel Right” suggests a lingering discontent separate and apart from mere youthful angst: “I don’t feel right, that’s all I know.” And yet, many of the album’s lyrics sound like they could have been written early in Sleater-Kinney’s career. “Needlessly Wild” is full of self-reproach, while “Untidy Creature” ends the album on a defiant note of female empowerment.
Weiss’s absence is less apparent on Little Rope than on its predecessor, thanks in part to the inclusion of synthesizers and other sonic colorings. But Weiss’s skill as an arranger is still missed here, as on the disco-rock hybrid “Crusader,” where a four-on-the-floor rhythm is dubiously paired with lyrics addressing the rise in right-wing populism. Still, Tucker and Brownstein deserve credit for continuing to take risks and experiment with Sleater-Kinney’s established sound, resulting in another solid effort in an unexpectedly fruitful late period.
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