The first L7 album in 20 years, Scatter the Rats embodies everything that made the band so iconic in the first place-the distortion-heavy riffs and headbanging rhythms, sludgy grooves and indelible melodies. And in their lyrics, L7 achieve a direct transmission of raw feeling, often spiked with biting commentary on the chaos of the world today.
Burn Baby opens the album with a galvanizing reflection on letting go of old grudges for the sake of fighting a greater evil, while Fighting the Crave offers a slice of life on the inner push and pull of whatever one might crave. Throughout the album, L7 also examine depression (Sparks's Holding Pattern, which matches its delicate melody with a disarming vulnerability), lonely hearts (Suzi Gardner's gloriously swampy Murky Water Cafe) and codependency (the unhinged Garbage Truck, written by Jennifer Finch). And on Uppin' the Ice, the band delivers a dance-worthy track inspired by a bit of advice Demetra Plakas got from her doctor upon breaking her arm before the band headed into the studio.