Low Rats

Year Of The Rat MMXX
0

From the Trashmen to the Replacements, Minneapolis has an improbable legacy of untethered garage-rock and punk. Add Low Rats to that lineage.

On their debut LP, the quartet distills seedy psychobilly, Heartbreakers hooks, and rumbling surf – and that’s just on the opener, “Ex Crisis.” Elsewhere, “She’s My Witch” is a nugget hinting at Roky Erickson, while “The Corner” suggests NYC proto-punk, its percussive piano and vocalist Mike Gallows’ howl evoking the New York Dolls’ latter-day transformation of ’50s rock.

Guitarist Poison Sell’s standout turn, however, might be the single “Cryin’ And Moanin’.” Here, the insistent rockabilly riffing-and-vibrato-workouts are filtered through his trusty Gretsch and complemented by a shout-along chorus and Gallows’ young-Iggy sneer. Bass-driven and reverb-drenched, “The Old Guard” adds to the overall dynamics, but leaves the listener longing for a return to form – which arrives henceforth with “You Ignore Me.” To be sure, there’s little flyover material in this 10-track set of Midwest raunch.

Fans of rowdy roots from Supersuckers to Dex Romweber will rejoice to these sinister, snotty exercises with a whiff of sulphur, few surpassing the three-minute mark – as it should be.


This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2022 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

No posts to display