“Little Rope” – Sleater-Kinney

Album: Little Rope

Artist: Sleater-Kinney

Year: 2024

Genre: Indie Rock

Grade: B+

The reformation of Sleater-Kinney, the founding mothers of indie rock, has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the last decade (has it already been that long since No Cities to Love?), yet the departure of founding drummer Janet Weiss in 2019 has been the most unfortunate thing to happen to Sleater-Kinney since they broke up in the first place. Nevertheless, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker soldier on, and 2024’s Little Rope — their 11^th album overall — is their best album of the post-Weiss era (an era which consist of only two albums so far, at time of publishing).

Indie stalwart producer extraordinaire John Congleton deserves much credit for Little Rope’s cohesive sound; contributions which give Brownstein and Tucker more time to focus on the tight, hooky, punky songwriting that they’re famous for. And, yes, these 10 tunes in 34 minutes are sterling examples of the classic Sleater-Kinney sound. While not as addictively abrasive as they once were, the band — or what’s left of it — can still rock out in that gleefully high-pitch frequency that only they can operate within. And if they’ve survived this long, Little Rope is more proof that they can do it forever. A pretty good album that’ll satisfy longtime fans.

NOTES & CHORDS

• Little Rope is less eclectic than its predecessor (the first post-Weiss album, 2021’s Path of Wellness) but more focused overall: a welcome return to Sleater-Kinney’s roots. Though this time around, I’d wager that the absence of Weiss’ energetic drumming is even more noticeable than last time.

• “Say It Like You Mean It” is a terrific song. Catchy. Superbly melodic.

• “Untidy Creature” is a terrific closer. Triumphant. Subtly epic.

• In a way, Little Rope reminds me of Wilco’s Cousin: a late-career album that isn’t necessarily lazy but is slightly lacking in energy. Artful enough to satisfy longtime fans, but not quite as good as good as the old days. However, Little Rope still gets the job done as a solid, unassuming album.

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