Just about 50 Albums and EP’s to cover, so I’ll start by featuring a band who released their debut album back in February. They‘re called A Girl In A Rat Suit, and they're the type of band I love to discover, indie spirits with a clear vision and style of music, and who suddenly pop up with an album out of nowhere - enabling me to listen to the whole thing without 6 heavily trailed singles.
Of course they can’t have been nowhere at all, they’re a duo who’ve actually been living and writing music over in New York for a few years, returning to native Denmark apparently a couple of years back. Inspired seemingly by grunge, old Danish hymns and Fraggle Rock characters (aren't we all?) they actually released an EP way back in 2011, which I partly mention because it’s well worth checking out, particularly for bold opening track 'Hotel Terminus'.
Anyway the debut album ‘Year Of The Rat’ is an intriguing listen, the immediate highlight probably being opening track ‘Arena’, which really sets the atmosphere, with understated slightly dark sounding vocals opening up to a pretty decent melody. 'Schoonship' is an interesting track too, with the piano offering a distinct contrast in sound (something they did in 'Hotel Terminus' to good effect), and apparently written in reference to the Dutch naval phrase 'schoon ship maken', where seafarers made a full clean sweep of a ship ahead of voyage, marking a fresh beginning.
The vocals in 'Bony Antlers' remind me a little of UK indie shoegaze band Lush in their earlier years, all accompanied by another dark instrumental backdrop, whilst in 'Storm Før Stilhed' they really up the tempo in a catchy track with Danish lyrics. And in 'Neverending Story' they again go for a big dynamic sound, with piano hammering away in the background and another memorable melodic chorus.
It's fair to say that not all tracks hit home on early listens, but this has really grown on me, and they're not afraid to try different things either, with contrasts in sounds and unusual textures which almost add to the mystique. Line Maria Clement Grunert's vocals are pretty wonderful throughout, and in tracks such as 'Arena'. 'Letter K' and 'Bony Antlers' they really hit the mark. Definitely a project worthy of way more attention than they appear to be getting so far.
Find them on Instagram.