OUT THE 2nd MAY 2025
W: Georgie Bogle @georgiethebogle
Dead Rat Society pulls upon a heroic variety of influences on its sophomore album, ‘Reflecting Light and Causing Chaos’, to deliver an electrifying sound that uniquely blends Hip-Hop, Punk, Indie and EDM, to keep listeners guessing from track-to-track.
The album’s opener, ‘The Night’, is a melancholic party anthem that immediately swings for the face, with a hook-riddled beat formed of blaring sirens and drums reminiscent of noughties and hip-hop club anthems. Vocals are distorted and barked in a punk manner, emphasising the chaotic note the track seeks (and more than manages) to hit. Further bolstering the track are Ed Harris’ lyrics, that wittily touch on the modern reality of trying to understand your own brain and find your niche in the world, all whilst the planet’s burning around you: “…Boom! There goes my mind. Thought I’d made a choice but I struggle to define. What I want, What I need in life. But that’s another struggle for another night!”, a sentiment that I’m sure will resonate with many people.
As alluded to at the start of this review, the album’s tone constantly morphs, moving from the industrial, punk and EDM’ influences of ‘The Night’, ‘Can You Feel it In Your Face’ and ‘Come with me on a Spaceship’, to a more old-school hip-hop for ‘Needed the Sun’ and ‘Immaculate Vibes’. The first of which, ‘Needed the Sun’, poignantly touches on the universal feeling of a sunny day reigniting your soul after endless grey skies. The song’s sarky lyrics are encased by a delicious baseline and funk guitar licks, creating a warm, nostalgic sound akin to the Beastie Boys rapping over a beat penned by Q-Tip.
‘Immaculate Vibes’ takes the ‘old-school’ feeling to another level. This relaxed and groove heavy song sounds like it could feature on the Beastie Boys’ legendary, ‘Paul’s Boutique’. Each bass note and sample feel perfectly placed and pull you to bob your head and sing long, as if you were at a sunny BBQ with your mates. But, despite the upbeat feel of the song the lyrics counter this vibe, describing the chaotic exhaustion of maintaining oneself amidst the brutal grind of modern life and its resulting poor coping mechanisms: “The crushing psychological weight of being alive. When you grind and you grind and you grind and you grind, but still. The vibes are immaculate. If there’s a line I’m either doing it or crossing…”. As an additional point, I want to briefly mention my personal favourite song from the album, ‘Bounce Back’, this jam takes the ‘Paul’s Boutique-esque’ sampling to another level, creating a warm and inviting soundscape that devolves into a genre-bending mix of styles and sounds over the course of its runtime.
Fans of punk and industrial need not beware, as they’re also treated to several gems. ‘Can you Feel it In Your Face’ hinges on a grime beat and harsh, off-kilter noise, describing the feelings of frustration and isolation caused by growing up in an increasingly broken world, with a punk bark similar to Isaac of SOFT PLAY (ex. ‘SLAVES’). ‘Come With Me on a Spaceship’ takes these themes to the next level, pushing the punk bark and industrial noise to new heights whilst describing the need to leave the Earth and travel to another planet entirely. Tying off the more anarchic parts of the album is ‘Shoplifters Welcome’, an anthem that wouldn’t be out of place on Hadouken’s ‘Music for an Accelerated Culture’, which seeks to empathise with those who need to steal in order to survive and to counter the ‘pearl clutchers’ who cannot fathom such inequality.
Tying off the album are the songs ‘Leave With Care’, ‘Little Victories’ and ‘Dream River’, each of which differ from the earlier tracks, taking far more influence from the indie world. ‘Leave with Care’ is an indie-rock anthem, an incredible drunken wail of pure heartache, poignantly touching of the feeling of sadly drinking away your love-ridden feelings. ‘Little Victories’ takes the theme of heartbreak further, detailing the thoughts of a wounded soul who’s trying desperately to be positive and put themselves back together, underpinned by blues guitar solo-ing, tremolo-heavy rhythm guitar and melancholic vocals. Finally, ‘Dream River’ is a perfect album send-off, a more ‘peaceful’ song akin to Foals’ ‘Spanish Sahara’, that features deep reverb and softer vocals to create a wonderful sense of hope and getting closer to one’s goals, pleasantly juxtaposing the desperate themes of the first half of the album and, ultimately, making the album feel like a worthwhile cathartic process, as opposed to a simple listening experience.
As a final summation, Dead Rat Society has built an explosive and engaging album from start to finish, which is no small feat considering the incredible variety of influences at play. This album is not to be slept on, you’ll regret it wholeheartedly, the whole album is a triumph!
Key Tracks: ‘The Night’, ‘Needed the Sun’, ‘Bounce Back’ and ‘Dream River’.
Instagram @deadratsocietymusic
PR: @altmusicpr
