Let Me Do One More

Illuminati Hotties

I went into Illuminati Hotties totally blind. Wasn't sure what type of music it was, whether it was a band; I had absolutely zero clue what I was in for. I saw the name pop up in a few publications and the consensus seemed to be pretty positive, so I was captured by my curiosity. Putting this on and hearing Pool Hopping for the first time instantly put a smile on my face. The guitar riff immediately grabbed me and it only became sweeter once it was joined by these high bass notes that played a beautiful harmony. The verses were also impeccable with some overdriven guitar chords and a surf lead that felt so refreshing. Not to mention Illuminati Hotties' spearhead, Sarah Tudzin, and her youthful, eccentric vocal delivery. It was fun, sunny, and quirky. Quite possibly one of the best indie pop and rock songs I've heard this year.

The following track Mmmoooaaaaayaya - a phonetic representation of the sung chorus - was another thriller. The dissonant, and sour guitars coupled with the fast stuttering repeats reminded me so much of something Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos would do, and I'm here for it. Tudzin delivers an exaggeratedly snide performance that feels like a personal attack. All of that nastiness gets flushed away in the chorus, however, as we get a joyful, sing-along that makes you want to shake your head from side to side. Throughout the song, we are also treated to some very absurd, but memorable lines. In the second verse, I picture a drug trip gone wrong as a poor soul bear hugs a musty blanket on the couch. Later on there is a line about being too sad to do laundry, which is a line I identify with on way too deep a level than I would like to admit.

The following track, Knead, takes things down a notch, but still has a peculiarity to it that remains in line with the two previous tracks. The melodies, the vocals, and the song structure remind me a lot of a slightly less grungier Speedy Ortiz, which is an absolute win in my book. However, after this is the point on the album where I begin to feel betrayed. The first three songs set a precedence of sorts that the rest of the record fails to live up to. Threatening Each Other re: Capitalism, Protector and Growth are very slow, intimate tracks that to me are very slow burners that border on patience testing. The songs are a little more straightforward I'm guessing to accentuate Tudzin's sharp and witty writing, but without the eccentric guitars or vocal performance, I find myself not really all that much engaged. Illuminati Hotties does redeem themselves a little bit in the last half with Joni: LA's No. 1 Health Goth, a raucous riot grrrl, punk banger. Also, The Sway has some really beautiful twinkling guitar leads, the kind of captivating element that I thought was lacking on the other slower tracks.

Ultimately, I did end up liking this record even though I felt a bit dupped. There is a lot of slower tracks on this record and they were often bunched together which results in an experience that feels more down than up. I would've liked to see more of the adventurous, eccentric, and sometimes confrontational side of Sarah Tudzin some more as those moments stick out to me the most. I can't end without also praising Tudzin's multi-talents on the technical end of things. To my understanding, Tudzin produces, engineers, and mixes the band's music and she has done an absolutely wonderful job, even on the tracks I didn't particularly care for. I see so many great things about this band so I'll be very interested to see what the future holds for Illuminati Hotties.