Wait… first things first…

This album art is great, I have never heard of this band before and have not the slightest clue what genre they are but im going to guess ‘Indie’ because this is the most ‘Indie’ album cover of all time
Rob Thomas wrote a book called ‘Rats Saw God’ which really confused my research on this. Just thought… that was kinda neat…
The fuck is wrong with this womans face? Is that chocolate pudding on her mouth or did she just raw dog a rat burger? GOD DAMN I cannot get it out of my mind…

Track By Track

Hot Rotten Grass Smell

This is song is hot garbage. And by that I mean, it sounds almost EXACTLY like the band Garbage. I would be willing to bet with no prior research that Shirley Manson was an influence on these guys because the homage is undeniable. That being said… this song only serves as a prelude to the next song and is a short little opening statement that barely distinguishes itself in any meaningful way.

Also, a sidenote; I didn’t record who sent me what recommendations for albums and just lumped them all together on a spreadsheet. A few were so obvious who they came from that I could explicitly mention the sender in my review but this album and Protomartyr are giving me some serious DeJa'Vu with the vibes both bands are bringing… I suspect I may be giving someone two shout outs in a row unintentionally. You are welcome for that WHOEVER YOU ARE!

Bull Believer

It is long, repetitive and the shrieking just… doesn’t do anything for me. I am all in on musical chaos and can appreciate artists taking some liberties with their songs by including stuff just for the vibes but maaaaan. I dont know, this just did not work for me at all. It is just a mess of emotion and noise.

Got Shocked

Alright…. now I am getting invested. This one was pretty good! A much better way to set these guys apart from their obvious influences. Very ‘Indie Rock’ sounding but it works really well here. Loved the guitars and Karly Hartzman’s vocals are pretty smashing as well. Very good track!

Formula One

Really liked this one, nay, LOVED this one! A very down tempo, melodically pretty country feeling jam with soft vocals and twinkly guitar runs that make you feel like whatever you are attempting to do will always be juuuuuuuuust out of reach and the song is your brain coping with that realization. Its vibey, its emotional and its really damn good!

Chosen To Deserve

YEEEAAAAHHHH! What a banger of a song this one is! Bands that can genre hop seamlessly within the confines of the same album are becoming increasingly rare these days due in part to what a risky gamble it is. Any band, especially a lesser known one, that already has an established fanbase is playing Russian roulette with the threat of alienating someone by journeying into a genre that they are not already well-established in. Further, you risk potential backlash from the acolytes of the genre you are stepping into as well. Mainstream music has become more siloed than ever these days with the rise of algorithmic music recommendations ruling our listening habits and the constant flood of choices at our disposal.

All that to say this song is a Liz Phair style alternative pop ballad, it is FANTASTIC!

Bath County

Another absolutely fantastic track! These guys bob and weave between genres effortlessly and this one has some grungy 90s vibes. Doing the whole ‘Ode To Garbage’ thing again. Much more unique here though. Vocals sound great, guitars are warm and fuzzy… I dig it. The ending has these smashing drums that remind me a lot of Soundgarden.

Quarry

This one feels a lot like an extension of Bath County in that it really feels like we paused then immediately went right back into it. This one is definitely more ‘poppy’ although the vocals sound a little weak next to the big hooks the guitars and drums are laying down. It needs some of that anger and angst the first two tracks were taping into instead of the nonchalant ‘eh… whatevs’ delivery were given. Not a bad track by any means but after the last few being so good this one does feel a little disappointing.

Turkey Vultures

AAAAAAAAND Were Back! Damn! I really love this one, my complaints with Quarry are completely nullified here! The drums and guitars are mixed so SO well on this one and the vocals get some more lift to them and it all comes together like a simmering soup of grungy, gothic goodness! Has a Smashing Pumpkins vibe to it that I absolutely love. Another GREAT track!

What’s So Funny

Nothing… this one is pretty good too. Nothing much to note, its a fine track and slots right in there with the others. I still dont know how to answer what’s so funny but I guess… like… rabbits or something?

TV In The Gas Pump

Conclusion: Its A Solid BOP!

Look, I am not going to say this is a “can’t miss” album or anything but it is a more than serviceable throwback to 90s grunge with some unique twists on the genre. Wednesday does their own thing but wears their influences on their sleeves. You can hear callbacks to the artists who inspired them but nothing that feels like they are treading the same steps as their mentors. It feels like the solid extension of grunge that we could have seen if Nu Metal had never taken its cleaver to late 90s pop culture. Imagine if Fred Durst had started a Pearl Jam style band instead of Limp Bizkit. Think of how much further we would be as a society if that had happened. How many embarrassing photos would have never been posted to MySpace or Xanga which would have slowed the eventual takeover of social media by your aunts you stopped talking to decades ago. Think of fewer Minions memes would exist. This is all your fault FFFFFFRED!

Wednesday - Rats Saw God