Sleater Kinney – Untidy Creature

Description

Little Rope is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Sleater-Kinney, released on January 19, 2024, on Loma Vista. Produced by John Congleton, the album was preceded by the singles: “Hell”, “Say It Like You Mean It”, and “Untidy Creature”.

Released to positive reception, Little Rope was completed in the aftermath of a deadly car accident involving band member Carrie Brownstein’s mother and stepfather in late 2022. Dealing with this event, the duo had to face up to questions surrounding “how we navigate grief, who we navigate it with, and the ways it transforms us” during the recording process.

The duo were joined in the studio by touring member Angie Boylan, who recorded the album’s drum parts; Death Cab for Cutie‘s Dave Depper; and Outer Orbit’s Galen Clark.

Background and recording

The idea of another Sleater-Kinney album was initially “up in the air”, as an introduction video of their previous album Path of Wellness (2021) resulted in a vague answer as to whether the duo would ever record another album. However, after the release of their tenth studio album they turned to John Congleton to produce their next record. They had planned to work with Congleton “for a long time” but had to wait for “the stars” to align. Recording took place at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, Oregon.

Half of the record had been written prior to Brownstein’s mother’s death, with the remaining tracks “approached with grief hanging heavy”. As a result, Little Rope deals with topics including “global crisis and personal tragedy”. Described as “one of the finest, most delicately layered” within their discography, the record is enriched through “complex, ambitious instrumentation”.

Release

The duo announced the album on October 3, 2023, alongside the release of the single “Hell”, a “moody and eerie” track with an “explosive chorus” that was billed “pure Sleater-Kinney”

Little Rope