Welcome back to Split Record Review! Last week’s record was more divisive than normal for James and me, so let’s see what happens with Sleigh Bells’ “Treats.” Sleigh Bells is a noise pop/rock duo from Brooklyn that I hadn’t heard of until this week.
Admittedly, my knowledge of these genres doesn’t go far past what you’d find on Rate Your Music’s top albums list. Outside of the classics like the Jesus Lizard, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, my knowledge becomes limited.
“Treats” comes swinging out the gate with “Tell ‘Em.” If I had to describe the sounds in terms of other artists, think Death Grips meets Kero Kero Bonito. It’s loud and overstimulating, yet strangely catchy. The instrumental is highly repetitive, which can be a strength for a track with an interesting idea. On this song, I felt like it could’ve gone somewhere else, though it’s on the shorter side at just under three minutes.
“Kids” continues the drilling 808 beats and ethereal vocals. Singer Alexis Krauss sings monotone over the abrasive and overblown instrumental. The lyrics are simple, childlike and showcase a feeling of nostalgia, an interesting contrast to the noisy rest of the track.
“Riot Rhythm” is another whimsically insane track, broaching militaristic territory while keeping the uneasiness and anarchy evident in the rest of the record. Krauss’ layered vocals scream “You better march” repeatedly over discordant guitars.
Similar to the track before it, “Infinity Guitars” contains more cascading “ah-ah-ahs” throughout its runtime. It’s one of the catchiest songs on the whole record, veering into more riot grrrl sentiments mixed with discordant noise rock.
“Run the Heart” has a much different approach, slowly building up for the first minute. From just vocals to a spiraling synthesizer in the back, it explodes into the record’s usual affair about a third of the way through. “Rachel” is driven by heavy breathing and pulsating synths. Krauss muses about the sea and the titular Rachel. Once again, I like the ideas present here, but they don’t seem to go anywhere throughout the song.
“Rill Rill” is a stylistic switch from the rest of the album, leaning heavily onto a piano and guitar-led instrumental. Krauss’ vocals are the best on the record here. The track’s hook is the most infectious of the whole album thus far.
It still has the hallmarks of Sleigh Bells’ previous songs: loud, rambunctious boom-baps and overblown production. The track is the most popular on the album, sitting at over 50 million streams on Spotify, which makes sense considering it’s easily the most accessible track here.
Following up “Rill Rill” is “Crown on the Ground,” another longer cut at just under four minutes. The distortion comes back with vengeance, being one of the most discordant and loudest tracks on “Treats.” Each succeeding track has more repetition and more distortion. However, this one does expand on the main melody in a satisfying way during the back half.
“Straight A’s” is a track that every student can relate to. The lyrics are nothing but repeating “Ain’t no sleep, we want straight A’s.” At just 90 seconds, it’s the shortest track on the record and one of the wildest. Its breakneck speed makes it feel like under a minute, and it’s a fun break from the rest of the album.
“A/B Machines” is another slow burn, though that may sound oxymoronic given the style of music. Krauss once again repeats the same words over and over, which makes it seem like another instrument added to the track. One of the most interesting things about this record is Krauss’ ability to blend in like another guitar or synthesizer.
The record closes with the title track, which is a fitting end to the experience. It’s slower than most other songs, yet loud and apocalyptic. The chorus is incredibly catchy, though on the whole, it drags on.
My biggest problem with this record is that it presents ideas and doesn’t really expand upon them. For songs like “Rill Rill” or “Treats,” that can lend to the strengths of the record. However, for others, it does the opposite. I haven’t explored nearly enough of this type of music, and this album does make me want to journey further, but I just wasn’t jiving with a lot of it.
Rating: 3/5