Texis

While making their fifth album, Sleigh Bells Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller decided not to worry about reinventing their particular wheel. Though they pushed their sound forward with impressive results on 2016s Jessica Rabbit, on Texis theyre content to play with the contrasts that made their music so exciting when they burst onto the scene with 2010s Treats. Compared to that album and Jessica Rabbit, Texis is radically simple. Its shifts are quicker, its dynamics more polarized, and the duo uses just a handful of elements to maximum impact. On Sweet75, chugging and squealing guitars, sugary synths, and Krauss pop star harmonies represent Sleigh Bells puree of genres at its purest, even though the refrain Arent you a little too old for rock n roll? feels like an acknowledgement that they dont have the shock of the new on their side anymore. Though Miller and Krauss dont rehash Treats sound, Texis taps into that eras exuberant energy. When Krauss sings I feel like dynamite! over plunging surf guitars on Locust Laced, she expresses how Sleigh Bells have always blurred the boundaries between euphoria and explosions, while Tennessee Tips harks back to the heyday of anything-goes blog bands with grungy synth pop. A pared-down version of Sleigh Bells is still highly volatile, and Texis offers plenty of reminders of just how weird -- and often weirdly brilliant -- their music can be. The cheerleader metal of Justine Go Genesis is a prime example, as is the trail of destruction left by Red Flag Flies or the way neatly stacked vocal layers are razed by wrecking ball riffs on Hummingbird Bomb. Amidst Texis chaos, there are still some glimpses of Jessica Rabbits emotional depth on True Seekers and Im Not Down, a power ballad with a beat that splits the difference between IDM glitches and rapid-fire metal double kick drums. Not so much a retreat as a celebration of what Sleigh Bells do best, Texis finest moments thrive on the razors edge between sweetness and annihilation. ~ Heather Phares