Quality Over Quantity

Sleigh Bells hails from New York and consists of Alexis Krauss and Derek Edward Miller. Now, the alternative rock duo is back with Kid Kruschev, a mini-album. Kid Kruschev is the duo’s first album since November of 2016 when they released Jessica Rabbit, their fourth album. Although only consisting of 7 songs, Kid Kruschev is able to hold its own as an album.

The first track, “Blue Trash Mattress Fire” slowly begins with a whimsical series of synthetic sounds which start out soft and quiet, but continue to build. Heavy electric guitar fades in slowly, then kicks in all at once. At this point, Krauss’ vocals jump in, full of angst and passion. In “Favorite Transgressions,” Sleigh Bells does not shy away from showing off their heavy rock side. Heavy guitar aggressively pounds through the track. “Rainmaker” features a fun dance beat which slightly overpowers Krauss’ vocals as she chants “It was never really meant to be / You and me.” The next track, “Panic Drills” provides a unifying blend of ‘80s pop and rock while showing a sultrier and gentler edge of the duo’s sound. “Show Me The Door” strays the furthest from the rock genre in the album, venturing closer to synthpop.

The mood significantly shifts as the beginning of “Florida Thunderstorm” is heard. Soft, acoustic guitar gently strums, and the sound of crickets can be heard in the background. Although a harsh change from the rest of the album, the track showcases the duo’s versatility while they still stay true to their artistic point of view. Krauss even sings “Show you the door” throughout the song as a nod to the previous track. The seventh and final track is “And Saints,” a single from the album. The song is not as upbeat and intense as some of the other tracks, yet still highlights an undeniable edge of the duo’s sound. The almost haunting final seconds of the album features a simple mid-tempo piano tune before coming to a close.

Sleigh Bells was able to put their time, energy, and passion into these seven tracks as opposed to stretching themselves too thin over a longer album, and it paid off. Although a relatively short album, Kid Kruschev is able to bring as much to the table as a standard-length album.