In a world of slick, overproduced sounds, Ratfink!’s new album, "When U Were Mine", is a breath of fresh air, a raw wind-in-your-hair counterpoint; exactly the kind of DIY rock-n-roll we have been seeking. It was recorded with a fifty-dollar mic, a hundred-dollar guitar and a laptop that once drowned in beer (it's true!), which Ratfink! wears like a badge of toughness and authenticity.
The album opens with a swaggering loose feel and keeps that flame going through its 11 songs (43:18 of unapologetic slices). The early jolt of "About Ya" strides in as the second song on the record, with a hook that is memorable and equal parts heartache and brash. The last song, "When U Were Mine," slows it down just enough to reveal human emotion to share with the rough edges; it was fitting to "understand" the sweet-and-sour humanity in the collection.
Despite the genre generally being defined as indie rock, it possesses a wonderfully raw quality, infused with elements of punk and rock 'n' roll, and a DIY aesthetic that permeates every chord and lyric. You can tell that Ratfink! and his partner in crime Liv, who would sometimes appear at the oddest of hours to add her layer of sweetness to the mess, simply tried to capture a moment, scratched, imperfect, and alive. And they succeeded. Break open "When U Were Mine" if you want an album without any filters or overproduction; sentiments and passionate guitars, bare. Ratfink! supports the idea that sometimes the broken, the unrefined, is just what's going to make you feel the music.
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