Sleigh Bells - Treats

Contrast is surely the most overrated and overused concept in pop music. All too often we are being told that the latest hype-benefactors betray a thrilling contrast between, say, their scabby lo-fi production and their sugar-sweet melodies – only to sound like yet another third-rate retread of Jesus and Mary Chain. But every so often something comes along that really does knock your socks off. And Treats is one such record. The product of singer Alexis Krauss and musician, songwriter and producer Derek Miller, Treats does display a quite thrilling contrast between the maelstrom Miller churns out on his guitar and drums and Krauss’ deadpan delivery. She sings as if in another room where nothing is happening. It’s instantly invigorating, enormously enjoyable and – better still – continues to reward after multiple listens.
 
If you find the in-vogue strand of noise-rock fronted by No Age and Times New Viking a bit too grubby, then Treats is a much more clear-eyed record. If you find Crystal Castles too dead-eyed, this is a much more fun listen. If you love No Age and Crystal Castles, you are in clover – this is better than either. The melodies simply gleam. The noise rips from the speakers. In short, it packs a mighty punch.
 
There’s a touch of Deerhoof’s crunchy-noise/cute-vocals combination about Infinity Guitars and Kids comes on a smidgen like M.I.A. (to whose N.E.E.T. label they are signed) but the dynamic between Miller’s peels of guitar and Krauss’ unwavering, almost hypnotised vocals gives Treats a personality all of its own. The recipe is simple, but the results are impeccable.
 
Kids, Crown on the Ground and Run the Heart are among the best cuts here: loud, brash and hook-laden. But, surprisingly, the standout moment arrives on the one occasion they turn the speakers down from 11, on Rill Rill. Thoroughly unshakeable and freakishly addictive, it’s one of those melodies you can’t believe hasn’t been written before – a seemingly lab-perfected hybrid of Do You Realize, Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl and Stillness Is The Move, and quite possibly the pop song of the year. When former schoolteacher Krauss sings ‘Wonder what your boyfriend thinks about your braces / What about them? I’m all about them!’ her empathy for the awkward defiance of one’s teenage years is striking.
 
A/B Machines repeats one line over and over: ‘Got my A Machines on the table, got my B Machines in the drawer’. Whatever about their B Machines, Sleigh Bells’ A Machines are some seriously heavy, high-performance units. Play loud and often.