When I saw Rotterdam post-punk outfit Rats on Rafts perform live twelve years ago—the final show of a tour that had lasted over a year—in their hometown, what struck me most was how super tight they played. They still can, but they continue to develop themselves and surprise us. As colorful and thrilling as their previous album Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths (2021) was, so dark, hazy and slow is their new long player Deep Below, recorded analogue. In that respect it’s fitting that the video for closing track Sleepwalking doesn’t wander past the glittering modernities but rather past the raw districts of their city.
Arnoud Verheul, David Fagan, Doortje Hiddema, Mathijs Burgler and Natasha van Waardenburg explore the depths of the human psyche, questioning relationships with nature and religion, but also with each other and their past. In nine hypnotic songs—a 41-minute meditation on doubt, loss, and time’s relentless pull—they drift deeper into their shadows, with a greater role for moody synths, a perfect match for the compelling guitar melodies. Layered interplay, relatable lyrics and a bewitching atmosphere, this record touches something inside.
Deep Below is out now digitally and on vinyl LP Fire Records and Kurious Recordings.