Street Sects - Rat Jacket

Austin, TX based industrial/punk/noise project Street Sects has been serving harsh, cold lessons and stories based on both personal and inner reflections ever since they released their debut EP Gentrification I: The Morning After the Night We Raped Death. The lo-fi quality and general insanity that ensued after I hit the play button was a bit odd at first, and it definitely took time to grow upon me. But the wicked, hard to read and altogether gruesome stories paired with the visceral, rough noise Street Sects has become known for has entirely encapsulated myself. 

Last year's End Position solidified their state in the experimental electronic scene, receiving critical acclaim not only from ourselves but numerous other blogs and online critics. While no one would have thought that more music would come from the duo in such a short amount of time, here we are now with a new present from these defilers of the modern world. Rat Jacket is here and it is just as inflammatory as the rest of Street Sect's discography.

Rat Jacket is an EP that explores "...loyalty, trust, betrayal, paranoia, and the sadness and regret that comes with the acceptance of our own selfish nature." Street Sects is not backing down from their heavy hitting agenda that strikes personally at home. Everyone who has experienced Street Sects can identify with one or more of their albums or songs based on the filth they screech.

That being said, Rat Jacket is less about noise and aggression and is more about melody, instrumentation, and a cleaner picture. Don't get me wrong in saying that, however, as this is still the same industrial-punk fueled art noise project that we have all come to know and love. If their previous releases were all about getting out their frustrations and disgust, Rat Jacket is an EP that is of acceptance and sadness, catharsis and revelation. 

The EP seems to follow a story as well, as each of the song's titles deals with some type of crime and punishment based system. 'Total Immunity', 'Early Release', and 'In Prison, At Least I Had You' all stem from some sort of branch of the law. With the initial song on the album being 'Blacken the Other Eye', perhaps that is the start of this twisted journey. 

Percussion has a mainstay in all of the songs on Rat Jacket as has been the case for most of Street Sects' discography. Unlike their previous releases, the sample based rhythm and chaos has been toned down for more instrumentation from guitars and classic representation. The vocals are some of the best I've heard from Street Sects as well as the clean voice goes well with the more melodic content. The band does manage to insert their psychotic shrieking at some points, such as the end of 'Blacken the Other Eye'. 

My favorite song on the album is 'Early Release', and therefore deserves a special mention. The most experimental out of the four songs found on the album, 'Early Release' sticks out as a blend of electronic mayhem and thought out melody. The duel thoughts reign together in bits of harmony and it was blissful.

Rat Jacket is an EP that has been introduced to me with the line, We all have a price tag, we all sell each other out. Street Sects is not afraid to describe their sounds and feelings in one line that's as powerful as a single shot from a revolver, and Rat Jacket is no different. A side-step from their usual course, Rat Jacket still manages to stab you in the back with disgusting, but true and believable, facts and stories about betrayal and the world revolving it. 


Oct 04 2017