Photo by Philip Cosores
Brooklyn indie noise popsters Sleigh Bells are back with the track off their forthcoming album "Reign of Terror." The signature crunchy guitar sound explodes out of the speakers on "Born to Lose" with pulsating riffs and sample-heavy percussion. A hypnotic attraction that increases your desire to hear the rest of the album Well, don't worry. "Reign of Terror" will be released on Feb 21st.
Guitarist producer Derek E. Miller and lead vocalist Alexis Krauss have been on quite a ride since they first met in 2008. A peviously released EP and full album reaped some nice rewards in the form of prime festival gigs at Coachella, Primevera Sound and Pitchfork. Without a doubt the expectations for the new album are high and Sleigh Bells had to make some choices.
In a recent Spin Interview the bombastic guitarist explains his dilemma. "Reign of Terror is me growing as a songwriter," said Miller. "With the 'Treats' album it was less clear to me whether Sleigh Bells was going to be a guitar band or if we were going to do more sample-heavy stuff. With this record I had to pick sides. The beats are still important to me, but the guitar won."
The duo received some flak for their low budget live show that incorporated pre-recorded backing tracks into the mix. A story emerged from Sleigh Bells last tour about lead singer Alexis Krause crowd-surfing into the middle of a venue only to have the backing track end abruptly before she could make it back to the stage. Don't you hate it when that happens?
No word yet on whether an additional band member will be added to the touring line-up now that Sleigh Bells has seen some success. A string of Florida dates are scheduled with Diplo and Liturgy before the album release with an expanded U.S. tour to follow.
Sleigh Bells - Born to Lose
Tracklisting for 'Reign Of Terror'
'True Shred Guitar'
'Born To Lose'
'Crush'
'End Of The Line'
'Leader Of The Pack'
'Comeback Kid'
'Demons'
'Road To Hell'
'You Lost Me'
'Never Say Die'
'DOA'
