Rock stars in a different era

Rid of Me - "Access to the Lonely"
Label: Knife Hits / Den of Wax

These are strange times. We're idolizing influencers and YouTuber are our new stars. Is there any band -formed post-90s- you could actually call "rock stars"? I doubt it. The era of big rock bands is long gone and it probably won't change anytime soon. But, do we even need rock stars we can adore when your neighbor could be the next big thing on the internet come tomorrow? With or without music. With or without talent. Or by pure accident?!

RID OF ME are band that probably would've become "rock stars" in the right era. I'm thinking 90s, where the whole Alternative Rock and Grunge thing was really fucking big and everyone just slightly resembling acts like PEARL JAM or NIRVANA was considered the next big thing. Also gritty acts with a background in Punkrock, like THE JESUS LIZARD, UNSANE or HELMET got more attention in the shadow of the big Rock-/Grunge-hype. Nowadays the mainstream doesn't care about a talented Rock-band like RID OF ME. And that's kinda sad. I'm possibly repeating myself, but this band should make it big outside the circle of Punkrock...

2021's "Traveling" already was a great record, and "Access to the Lonely" is the evolution that makes a lot of sense. First and foremost they upped their game in terms of production. The new album doesn't sound as airy and noisy as "Traveling", it's more well rounded and well defined, more powerful too. RID OF ME went for a pretty straight "Rock"-sound this time around, leaving some of the Noise and the feedback-heavy sound behind them. The songwriting basically fits this soft change in direction. Personally I couldn't find a track that especially stands out, it feels like it was written as one piece. The flow is very good and just like "Traveling" the new record kinda sucks you in and spits you out 37 minutes later.

The songs however differ a lot in their nuances. There's the fast rocker "I'm so lonesome I could die", the slowly, crawling, grungy "Cut", the melodic "Pavement", the near Pop-Rock-ish "How you say it is" the noisy "Hell of it", the stompy, riff-heavy "Libertarian Noise Rock" or the dramatic, sensitive closer "The Weekend". Without ever hurting the whole feeling or soundsphere of the album, RID OF ME vary a lot within their songwriting. Musically, they got way more confident as a unit, from the interplay of the guitars to the natural singing of Itarya, that doesn't feel as forced anymore (though I definitely loved their performance on "Traveling"). 

In the end, the one thing that "Access to the Lonely" is missing is that one song that stands out. Their version of "Smells like Teen Spirit" or "Black Hole Sun". RID OF ME definitely weren't shooting for this though and honestly... does it matter anyway, with the concept of the "rock star" being a myth?

RID OF ME on Bandcamp
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