Album Review: No Cities to Love by Sleater-Kinney

Picture from Huffington Post

Words by: Ryan Gates

One of the most terrifying things about having a favorite band is the inevitable breakup. What's even worse is when said band reunites to put out a mediocre album. In the instance of Washington based riot grrrl group Sleater-Kinney, this is not the case. Nearly ten years after their supposed final album, The Woods, Sleater-Kinney reformed to release their eighth studio album, No Cities to Love, which is possibly their best album yet. No Cities to Love shows not only the maturation of three veterans in the punk scene, but three women kicking ass in a society dominated by men.

Consisting of Corin Tucker (guitar/vocals), Janet Weiss (drums), and Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein (guitar/vocals), Sleater-Kinney have been a tour de force in the Northwestern punk scene for nearly twenty years now. After releasing seven albums, Sleater-Kinney went on hiatus in 2006. After years of solo projects, Sleater-Kinney reformed in late 2014 and released No Cities to Love on January 20^th, 2015. The first single from NCTL, Bury Our Friends, was released to high critical acclaim. The chorus of the aggressive track exclaims “Exhume our idols and bury our friends! We're wild and weary but we won't give in!” Releasing Bury Our Friends as the first single set the tone for the album as a whole: wild, weary, and not giving in.

No Cities to Love proves that Sleater-Kinney lost absolutely no momentum in their decade long hiatus. Due to each member playing in various other bands during Sleater-Kinney's break, none of the musical ferocity within these three ladies was lost.

Score: 8.5/10

Standout Tracks: Bury Our Friends, Fade, and No Cities to Love