There’s a moment during the final choruses of ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ – the cathartic highlight of Sleater-Kinney’s 11th effort, ‘Little Rope’ – where Corin Tucker’s vocals rise to a higher register with such feverish intensity it almost floors you upon first listen. After several spins, it soon becomes apparent that this is more than simply an inspired vocal performance, it really is the sound of a woman exorcising a dear friend’s pain. The friend in question is in fact her bandmate Carrie Brownstein, whose mother and stepfather were tragically killed in a car accident while on vacation in Italy two years ago. Much of the material had already been written but the sudden loss forced the pair to recalibrate their approach in the studio. The resulting work is a startling triumph and their finest since the revitalising 2015 comeback ‘No Cities to Love’.
‘Say It Like You Mean It’ may have taken fans of the band – now operating as a duo following the departure of drummer Janet Weiss in 2019 – somewhat by surprise. Although they explored more streamlined pop sounds on the St. Vincent produced ‘The Center Won’t Hold’, few would have expected Tucker and Brownstein to serve up something so openly direct. In recent interviews, Tucker has spoken in great length about the discomfort she felt during the writing process with how raw and vulnerable songs such as this sounded, even to the point where she considered emitting them from the record entirely. Thankfully, Brownstein’s faith in the project, coupled with the persistence of producer John Congleton eventually forced a U-turn.
I imagine similar feelings would’ve been held about the haunting, pained closer ‘Untidy Creature’. Introduced with a hypnotic flurry of hulking guitar leads and crunching bass, the track soon unveils a beautifully understated middle section, with only soft piano chords and a distant hum of synth pads left to prop up its brave, exposed lyric: “Looking at me like a problem to solve / Like an untidy creature that you can’t push around / You built a cage, but your measurement’s wrong / ‘Cause I’ll find a way and I’ll pick your lock.” It’s true, the duo have never sounded this affecting before.
The remainder of the record relies on subtle evolution rather than revolution and typically for a Sleater-Kinney record, ‘Little Rope’ is remarkably concise in its execution. ‘Small Finds’ and ‘Six Mistakes’ channel a fiercely discordant, riotous energy consistent of their earlier work and ‘Needlessly Wild’ expands on the thrilling, hook laden rock that made ‘No Cities to Love’ such a success. On the excellent opener ‘Hell’, the duo switch between sombre, almost static verses and explosive choruses, its shrieking guitar line strongly suggesting the influence of previous collaborator St. Vincent – you can practically see her playing it on her signature axe.
Over the past 30 years, Sleater-Kinney have forged themselves a unique path. From trailblazers of the riot grrrl movement to modern day punk royalty and a redemptive comeback arc, their energy and considered song craft remain a joy. Despite having to navigate different kinds of losses to get to this stage, Tucker and Brownstein have emerged stringently triumphant, their bond stronger and more unshakeable than ever.
8/10
Words: Luke Winstanley
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