I mean, it is kind of hard to not want to try a band name that sounds this lowkey ridiculous. Hurray for riff raff? Who calls themselves that and doesn't get at least ONE play by my easily amused brain? Titles and covers matter! It is how you draw people in after all.
I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I hit play. The lead singer strangely immediately reminds me of some Bjork and Kate Bush child, with an indie pop/rock beat behind her. This can be a good or a bad thing. Both are an extremely mixed bag at best. "Wolves" is not the best track but at least grabbed my interest as sounding intriguing.
"Pierced Arrows" grabbed me a bit more stylistically. I feel the more indie rock leaning vibe actually fits her unique voice better. I find the lyricism of this group quite appealing so far. It isn't the typical indie sprinkled cookie cutter pop song style that indie has turned into these days.
"Pointed at the Sun" now makes me think a bit of a less country Melissa Etheridge, which can also be a mixed bag. This style I don't know if I liked as much.
"Rhododendron" (I only had to check 4 times to verify I spelled this correctly) has a bit of a Patti Smith cadence style. This album sounds like homage to a lot of musical weirdos, I am officially impressed. But for some reason I like the energy of this track. But I also tend to like Patti Smith...
"Jupiter's Dance" is the first song that I cannot quite immediately think of someone else but I like it. It has more of an indie dance-pop atmosphere than the other tracks, but worthwhile.
"Life on Earth" feels like a slow folk song. This album is seriously all over the place. It does not grab me as much as the other songs, but it isn't bad by any stretch.
"Nightqueen" feels a bit like a lost filler track in a mass of interesting pieces.
"Precious Cargo" is a bit politically charged and goes back to a more Patti Smith style.
"Rosemary Tears" is more lyrically simplistic. I am not a fan of the horns thrown into the track but the delivery is quite soulful on its own.
"Saga" has a bit of an Etheridge sound again and isn't too bad. I think it sounds a bit more like an opener to a concept than a closer of a track.
The album closes on a short instrumental titled "KIN".
Lyrics: 7/10 - The lyricism drew me in and kept me through it even if stylistically, I didn't enjoy everything.
Music: 5/10 - The downfall of the album, some of the concepts worked and others did not. The lead singer definitely has a voice but it seems she hasn't figured out where it quite works yet.
Overall: 6/10 - I recommend giving it a listen. It sounds very fresh compared to other alt/indie albums these days.
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