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Sleigh Bells, 'Reign of Terror': Album Preview

by Jon Blistein  |   January 17, 2012 10:12 EST
Patrick Odell

BEST BETS 2012 ALBUM PREVIEW MAIN

Artists in this Article

Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells
Title: Reign of Terror | Release Date: Feb. 21

 

In 2010, Sleigh Bells ( @sleighbells)were the right band for the right moment: a wave of hype, a deal with both M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings and Mom + Pop Records and a skull-rattling, ear-punishing, yet exhilaratingly novel sound complete with indelible hooks. In the two years since the band's debut, "Treats," pushed the Brooklyn noise-pop duo to the top of the underground and led to a series of synchs in videogame and movie trailers, that hype has changed into anticipation with questions swirling and expectations rising regarding upcoming follow-up "Reign of Terror." But team Sleigh Bells is unfazed: "We're excited that a band we believe in and watched really explode with their first record have delivered a musically amazing follow-up really quickly," Mom + Pop GM Thaddeus Rudd says.

 

If first single "Born to Lose" is any indication, guitarist Derek Miller (formerly of hardcore band Poison the Well) and singer Alexis Krauss haven't lost their knack for crafting in-the-red gems, but the swirling guitar in the background that closes out the track adds a new texture that hints at more intricate songwriting and production.

 

"There are 11 amazing songs on the record, [and] there's a lot of depth to it," Rudd adds. "It's a really cohesive, exciting listening experience, which is kind of a bland thing to say, but it's true."

 

 

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