Riot grrrl pioneers and indie rock legends Sleater-Kinney return with their 10th studio record Path Of Wellness (via Mom+Pop Music) their third record following their reunion in 2015. Officially released last month, the album marks a break from tradition for the band for several reasons including the project being the first self-produced record by the band; their 2019 record, The Center Won’t Hold, was produced by St. Vincent. Secondly, this is their first album recorded without the band’s longtime drummer Janet Weiss. If you recall, Weiss split from the band just before the release of their previous album.
While Sleater-Kinney has always been guitar-forward rock music, Weiss’s grizzled yet melodic style has been a staple of their sound. As a trio, Weiss, guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker made their name in the 90s and 00s making some of the sharpest punk of either decade. So with the release of Path Of Wellness, fans were happy to hear a session drummer who fit neatly into the band’s vibe. However, finding a new drummer wasn’t the band’s only challenge as the album’s shortcomings were offloaded in other departments. To be clear, Path Of Wellness isn’t an awful record, but it certainly feels half-baked. This aura of half-baked indie rock invades the songwriting and grooves which lacked gumption normally experienced on a Sleater-Kinney project.
Let’s take a track like “Tomorrow’s Grave” which on first listen, is energized with a shouty chorus and alarming guitar riffs but simply loses its vigor upon replay.
While “Down The Line” strikes you with Brownstein’s snappy delivery and the band’s interlocking guitars, the track fails to leave a lasting impact on the listener. Your first reaction to a lot of these will faintly remind the listener of vintage Sleater-Kinney, but little leaves an impression.
The disconnectivity issue has nothing to do with chemistry as the new drummer seems to fit neatly within the band’s sonic aesthetic. Rather, the lack of cohesion plaguing Path Of Wellness has everything to do with refinement deficiency in the songs themselves. Take for instance “Complex Female Characters” which exudes the signature feminist angst the band is known for. After closer inspection, its instrumentation fails to meet the energy, feeling more slapped together than edgy and DIY.
Path Of Wellness isn’t devoid of quality. Its first half is populated with tight tracks including “Worry With You” which focuses on compartmentalizing anxiety in quarantine into a colorful rocker with colossal guitar lines and comedically unhealthy lyrics. Also, “Shadow Town” is a densely dramatic dirge with brilliant vocals from Tucker that hold the whole thing together.
My personal favorite is “High In The Grass,” a tasteful blend of heavy psych and watery indie rock, forming an anthem about enjoying grass in the grass. Tucker’s operatic tenor shines on this song more than any other on the album, which helps to bring this summery anthem to life. It’s here more than anywhere else on the project that their distinct songwriting quality elevates the band’s overall performances and chemistry.
Sleater-Kinney’s Path Of Wellness documents the band in a transitional period following a major line-up change. This shift seemed to have blindsided the record’s direction, plaguing it with lukewarm energy and fractured songwriting.
Sleater-Kinney’s new album, Path Of Wellness is available where all music is streamed including Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. To purchase the album visit Bandcamp.
What did you think of the album? Be sure to let us know below in the comment section. Want more Sleater-Kinney? Connect with the band across your favorite social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
