Scatter the Rats is the seventh studio album by American rock band L7, released on May 3, 2019, through Blackheart Records.[2] It is the band's first album in almost 20 years, following the band's 2014 reunion. It has received positive reviews.[3]
| Scatter the Rats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 3, 2019 | |||
| Studio | Happy Ending Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:11 | |||
| Label | Blackheart | |||
| Producer | ||||
| L7 chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording and release
editScatter the Rats is the first L7 studio album in 20 years and was recorded with Norm Block and Nick Launay at Happy Ending Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was preceded by the singles "Burn Baby" on February 28[4] and "Stadium West" on April 22.[2] The band announced a 21-date tour to support the release, covering the United States in mid-2019.[5] The release follows the band reforming in 2014 and releasing the non-album singles "Dispatch from Mar-a-Largo" in 2017 and "I Came Back to Bitch" in 2018.[6]
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 63/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[7] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Under the Radar | 5/10[10] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Scatter the Rats received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[3]
Pitchfork gave the album a 6.6; Dayna Evans' review criticized the lyrics on one track, "Murky Water Cafe", as ("lines that resort to cliché or grab at low-hanging cultural fruit feel not only dated, but cringeworthy") and musicianship ("They sell themselves short by assuming they were just another meat-and-potatoes rock band, and on Scatter the Rats’ weakest moments, they actually sound like one.").[8] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave Scatter the Rats 3.5 out of five stars, writing that they are "cramming crunchy guitars and lurching rhythms into an updated stew of nasty punkabilly bounce, heavy metal muscle, and no-frills rock & roll" while stating that L7 "still snarl and pack a vicious punch".[1]
Rolling Stone praised the album citing the strength of the band's "pile-driving guitar riffs and quirky ear candy."[9] LA Weekly singled out the song "Stadium West" as "classic L7: punk fuzz and drone, with spit and fire in all the right places".[6] Exclaim!'s review from Zahraa Hmood gave the album a seven out of 10 but criticized it for being inconsistent, with immature songwriting in the middle tracks.[7] James Thornhill of Under the Radar gave a middling five out of 10, praising the guitar work and punk attitude of select tracks but noting that this is a weak outing for an iconic punk band and that the songwriting here does not live up to their 2017 and 2018 reunion singles.[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Burn Baby" | Sparks | 2:31 |
| 2. | "Fighting the Crave" | Sparks, Gardner | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Proto Prototype" | Sparks, Gardner | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Stadium West" | Sparks | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Murky Water Cafe" | Gardner | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Ouija Board Lies" | Sparks | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Garbage Truck" | Finch | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Holding Pattern" | Sparks | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Uppin' the Ice" | Sparks | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Cool About Easy" | Gardner | 3:22 |
| 11. | "Scatter the Rats" | Sparks, Gardner, Finch, Plakas | 4:27 |
| Total length: | 36:11 | ||
Personnel
editL7
- Jennifer Finch – bass guitar, vocals
- Suzi Gardner – guitar, vocals
- Demetra Plakas – drums, vocals
- Donita Sparks – vocals, guitar
Other personnel
- Norm Block – production
- Nick Launay – production
References
edit- ^ a b c Yeung, Neil Z. "Scatter the Rats – L7". AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Grant, Sarah (April 22, 2019). "L7's New 'Stadium West' Video Is a Prismatic, High-Speed Night Ride". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Scatter the Rats by L7". Metacritic. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (February 28, 2019). "L7 Detail First New Album in 20 Years, Share Video for New Song 'Burn Baby'". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (March 19, 2019). "L7 Announce 2019 Reunion Tour Dates". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Callwood, Brett (May 1, 2019). "Scatter, Rats! L7's Back with Their First Album in 20 Years". Los Angeles Weekly. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Hmood, Zahraa (May 2, 2019). "L7 Scatter the Rats". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Evans, Dayna (May 3, 2019). "L7: Scatter the Rats Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Grow, Kory (May 3, 2019). "Review: L7 Take No Prisoners on Comeback Album Scatter the Rats". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Thornhill, James (May 30, 2019). "L7: Scatter the Rats (Blackheart)". Under the Radar. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
External links
edit- Scatter the Rats at Discogs (list of releases)
- Scatter the Rats at MusicBrainz (list of releases)