Unabashed and cathartic, Slater-Kinney released their most ambitious effort, Little Rope, their most recent album since Path of Wellness (2021). The album focuses on the processes of grief, societal pressures, and finding one’s inner strength—the band’s notability for tearing down patriarchal walls that restrain Rock genre mostly male dominated. Little Rope pushes the musical landscape of Rock through its core by framing societal turmoil and grief and turning it into a memorable record. With angst and grief, Corin Tucker blends her raw, unfiltered vocals against an eclectic sonic production. The deluxe edition features three new songs: “This Time,” Nothing to Lose,” and “Here Today.” Three live tracks and three frayed versions of “Say It Like You Mean It,” “Hunt You Down,” and “Untidy Creature.” Each track exemplifies Sleater-Kinney’s legacy in the Rock genre. Little Rope is their second release without fellow bandmate Janet Weiss, who departed from Sleater-Kinney in 2019.
The album’s opener and lead single, “Hell,” opens with an immense build of Tucker’s restrained vocals about mass shootings in the United States. The lyrics, “Hell is desperation/And a young man with a gun,” inflict pain and sorrow as a collision for uncertainty. Listeners will be captivated by Tucker’s eccentric cry in the refrain lyrics: “You ask why there’s no tomorrow.” Her emphasis on why pleads for looking forward in life when the world is in so much pain. “Needlessly Wild” Carrie Brownstein’s mesmerizing vocals guide listeners through the documents of low times in adulthood by framing a restless punk’s perspective. Particularly in the lyrics, “I’m all out of hate/ There’s nowhere to climb.” It is a lightly upbeat killjoy anthem that will indeed have listeners fist-bumping into the night.
The second single, “Say It Like You Mean It,” explores Tucker’s introspect of the end of a relationship. The opening lyrics: “Lie gently with me/ All the clocks have stopped,” allude to Tucker preparing listeners in a suspenseful mood in what she wants the other person to know. The pain and sorrow expressed throughout the track illustrate a once fruitful relationship that has now diminished. Other highlights include the illuminating “Dress Yourself,” a track that is written from the depressive state of our protagonist wanting to get up out of bed and face the world despite the existential threats they are constantly under. The infectious lyrics, “Get up girl and dress yourself/ in clothes you love for a world you hate,” remind listeners that despite not liking the state of our world, we must stand up and face the unknown.
Sleater-Kinney was formed in 1994 in Olympia, Washington, started by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Other band members included Janet Weiss, Lora Macfarlane, Misty Farrell, and Toni Gogin. John Congleton produced Little Rope. The album’s second half focuses on Tucker and Brownstein’s consciousness reflected in the strong guitar screeches in the remaining tracks. The songs become almost one in their expression of energy and build toward the reservoir of sadness and grief. Other tracks, such as “Don’t Feel Right,” showcase a duality of dark and light energy throughout the song, which will sweep the listener off their feet and into the abyss Sleater-Kinney has placed them within. The lingering chorus: “Don’t hang around,/ I’m a real letdown,” illustrates an unshakeable loneliness and longing for someone or something that will never return to the protagonist. Listeners will be entranced and find the song relatable to the human experience of loss and overcoming it. Following this trend is the accompanying “Six Mistakes,” a yearning track about a woman on the outside feeling that the world cannot see her existence. Sonically New Wave sounding, the song reflects on women aging and how their identity changes in the world due to societal pressures.
The album’s closer and final single, “Untidy Creature,” is where the cathartic meaning of Little Rope ends. The track utilizes anguish and liberation. The longing and yearning production make this one a complimentary ending of an unrestrained album by Sleater-Kinney. Little Rope constitutes itself as a record that reflects Sleater-Kinney’s longevity within the Rock world for women and their unapologetic take on the musical landscape. It is highly recommended for fans who want an emotionally depth-filled album.
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