Dig ‘in: Ratboys, Rebuilder, Dippers
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
Ratboys - The Window (Topshelf Records LP)
The Pandemic impacted so many bands when life went on hold in March of 2020, but few bands seemingly got as raw a deal as Ratboys. Fresh off of dropping their best record to date, Printer’s Devil, Ratboys were primed to hit the road on their first headlining tour and soak up the adulation from not only the favorable reviews but their expanding fan base. The band pivoted during the pandemic to go on virtual tour dates and reinterpreted their first album Happy Birthday, Ratboy, but that’s not all, they were hard at work at crafting their strongest album yet.
The Window is the best distillation of the various components that make Ratboys great—country-tinged guitar-based indie rock with strong introspective and empathetic lyrics from guitarist and lyricist (and friend of the pod!) Julia Steiner. The lead-up to the new album featured the single “It’s Alive!” which immediately feels very Ratboys with strong guitar work, driving rhythm section, and soaring chorus. The song sounded great on its own but sounds even better in sequence on the record. There is variety here that we’ve come to expect on a Ratboys album, but even more diversification than before. You have the raucous fuzzed-out opener “Making Noise for the Ones You Love,” the aforementioned “It’s Alive,” a story of loss on “The Window,” a Neil Young-like 9-minute guitar epic “Black Earth, WI,” and potential Ratboys origin story “I Want You (Fall 2010).” All of this adds up to an album that is more than the sum of its parts, a true leveling up for them. Most importantly, they now get to go on their first headlining tour across the U.S. to support it, including a stop at Thalia Hall on Friday, December 22nd. -Mark Joyner
Rebuilder - Local Support (Iodine Recordings LP)
I feel bad for Rebuilder—I really do. After signing to A-F Records earlier this year, things were looking up. They had a great new single out, “Hold On,” and were preparing to release their sophomore album—and first LP since the great 2015 offering Rock & Roll in America. And just as the new record Local Support was about to come out, A-F imploded—leaving all their bands in the lurch. But that’s exactly what this record is all about. Dealing with disappointment, overcoming shitty things that happen in life and relying on your friends to help you rebuild. Hailing from Boston, Rebuilder features Craig Stanton and Sal Ellington trading off lead vocals over high energy pop-punk backing of guitars/bass/drums.
Having formed in 2013, they’ve been doing this for 10 years now—and it can often feel like a grind. And it’s only gotten harder in the last several years. On “What Happened to Me?,” Sal confesses “I’m already too old to become anything” and on “Another Round,” Craig remarks “Too old to be reckless, too young to die.” But these guys have a lot to say about struggle and perseverance and overcoming setbacks and depression. On “Stayin’ Alive,” Sal sings about his mental health issues, but ends the song with “We always find our way home.” Rebuilder has dealt with some crap and they’re still here to sing about it. And they do it damn well.
You can catch them in Chicago for a Riot Fest Late Night show at Chop Shop on September 15th opening up for Frank Turner. -Tom Novak
Dippers - Clastic Rock (Goner Records LP)
Clastic rocks are formed from broken fragments of existing weathered and eroded rocks usually as a result of water turbulence, such as in a river bed. The description is apt for the music of Dippers; a woozy, winding amalgamation of indie pop and rambunctious wit. After performing under the name Thigh Master during the previous decade, the Australian duo of Matthew Ford and Innez Tulloch are back with a new branding, but their scrappiness remains intact. On the album’s opener, “S.I.M.,” Ford declares “Thoughts do come more clearly / when I’m face down on the lawn” before hitting the chorus of “It mainlines to amygdalae.” References to the brain’s anatomy aren’t common fare in pop music, which gives an indication of where Dippers reside on the musical map. Ford takes the vocal lead with some accompaniment from Tulloch, and his unconventional delivery may not appeal to all listeners but it largely suits the left-of-center music orientation. Clastic Rock inhabits its own universe and conveys a language that’s unlike what we’ve become accustomed to. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Heet Deth
Where: Subterranean / Directions
When: September 9, 7:00 PM
Heet Deth is a guitar/drum duo of a slightly different stripe. Laila Eskin and Julia Baird are queer-identified artists who met when Baird and a couple of friends crashed one of Eskin’s house parties. After initial attempts to get things off the ground by learning Cranberries songs, they shifted gears and pivoted to noise rock. Their matching red jumpsuits and horror-themed face paint indicate a readiness to get down and dirty. On Heet Deth Hooray!, a ten song LP released in 2021, the pair attack political and gender power structures to conjure up a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Heet Deth deliver unhinged music perfectly suited to blow the doors off of staid society. -Bruce Novak
Jehnny Beth
Where: Riot Fest / Directions
When: September 16, Time TBD
When Johnny Beth decided to move on from Savages in 2016 it seemed premature with the band having authored two critically heralded albums and a reputation as a must-see live act. The passing of David Bowie that year made Beth realize that she needed to change course in order to continue down the right path of self fulfillment. She circled back with partner Johnny Hostile, with whom she began her music journey in 2011 with Pop Noire, and they began formulating a solo record that resulted in 2020’s To Love Is To Live. The guitar-driven sound of Savages was swapped out for a largely electronic backing without sacrificing the fierce intensity. Beth remains a riveting stage presence with a fierce physicality and a visceral connection with the audience. She strips away the romantic notion of love with songs that explore the power dynamics of relationships and gender. Her Riot Fest appearance precedes an extended North American tour where she and bandmates Hostile and Malvina Meinier will be openers for Queens of the Stone Age. -Bruce Novak
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Where: Bottom Lounge / Directions
Riot Fest / Directions
When: September 16, 10:00 PM
September 17, Time TBD
Montreal’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s ties to Chicago are significant. The band sent a cassette of their debut studio album in 1997 to the kranky label operated by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke in hopes of drumming up interest for a local gig. That eventually led to kranky securing an agreement with the band to release that recording and a subsequent one on CD. When Ryan Schreiber relocated his Pitchfork operation from Minneapolis to Chicago in 1999 it also proved fortuitous with the final GY!BE kranky release of Lift Your Skinny Fist like Antennas to Heaven garnering a rare 9.0 out of 10 review from the tastemaking site.
Live performance has always been the medium where the band has thrived and built their reputation. Certainly experiencing the onstage film projections adds to the immersive experience, but also witnessing the setting of eight eclectic and determined musicians playing off each other holds its own separate appeal. After taking time off from the band for most of the aughts, the members of GY!BE returned to the stage in 2010 and have been going relatively strong ever since. They remain a resolutely D.I.Y. entity, eschewing virtually all press overtures and sticking to their instrumental origins so as not to place any one member above the others. Their performances arrive with the anticipation that anything may happen as set lists change frequently. In his recent memoir, You’re with Stupid, Adams describes audience members emerging from a Godspeed performance “as if from a wind tunnel.” Unsettled but exhilarated makes for a helluva experience! -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Chook Race - Around The House (Trouble In Mind LP)
Inspiration often comes from the everyday things that surround us and Chook Race’s 2016 second LP, Around The House, is a testament of that. Drummer Carolyn Hawkins’ cover illustration of her grandparent’s house conjures up a cozy and vibrant setting that’s echoed in the group’s music. Their straightforward and snappy pop songs are comprised of first-hand observations and first-take recordings that come off true to their life experience. Hawkins shares vocal duties with guitarist Matt Liveriadis and Chook Race’s overall aesthetic is reminiscent of fellow Australian DIY predecessors The Cannanes. While attending an urban planning course at University of Melbourne, Hawkins had Cannanes drummer David Nichols as a lecturer, which led to her contributing an essay for his Urban Australia and Post-Punk Exploring Dogs in Space book. After departing Chook Race, she went on to play in School Damage and Parsnip. Tam Matlakowski (aka Tam Vantage) was brought in to join Liveriadis and bassist Rob Remedios, although the band’s Facebook page indicates the last show they performed at was July of 2021. Remedios also hooked up with Matlakowski in Permits and recently guested on Dippers’ Clastic Rock album. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: