SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCY AND THE RATS – LUCY AND THE RATS

Lucy And The Rats
Lucy And The Rats
Dirty Water Records

London-based punk rock outfit Lucy And The Rats have released their self-titled debut record! Produced by Johnny Casino and The White Stripes producer Jim Diamond, Australian punk princess Lucy Spazzy brings out The Rats – drummer Manu, guitarists Mike Animal Cannibal, and Joe To Lose – on a shimmering punk record reminiscent of the 2000s.

Lucy And The Rats opens with “Pills”, a sickly sweet bubble-gum rock ode to prescription drugs. The track is a solid opener for the record but feels like it could have been bigger. One also may have expected the self-titled debut record from a band called The Rats to be both more grimy and aggressive. Instead, Lucy belts out soft vocal melodies overtop clean instrumental parts. There is a little bit of Veruca Salt in here along with a touch of Hole; however, Lucy And The Rats seems far more influenced from both the pop punk of the 2000s as it is from early roots rock from the ‘50s. It is not hard at all to imagine Lucy and The Rats as being among Phil Spector’s biggest girl groups

While Lucy And The Rats displays a simple but strong song writing voice across the album – “So Simple”, “Night”, and “Girl” all standout for their simplicity and there weaving and shapely vocal melodies – the album as a whole feels like it is constantly coasting on the same wave it started on. Throughout the record, little shifts in terms of the vibes, grooves, styles, or tones heard. It is because of this that the album begins to feel monotonous after the first few tracks and ultimately hinders a great band from reaching their potential.

Lucy And The Rats is a strong first attempt for the London-punk outfit. It is not without its flaws, but that does not mean that this is any less of a band to watch out for. Lucy And The Rats, while repetitive, is highly nostalgic for the proto punk age of the early ‘60s, making for a fun album.

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