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Aug 26, 2014 Web Exclusive By Mack Hayden

There may come a day when we no longer need new material from The Raveonettes but that is not this day. Pe’ahi came out as a surprise release, appearing out of the blue, and what a pleasant surprise it was. The Danish duo is back to the fuzzed-out distortion which made their name after a brief foray into the more subdued songs on their last two records, 2011’s Raven in the Grave and 2012’s Observator. This is the hardest they’ve rocked, the loudest they’ve raised a ruckus, since 2009’s In and Out of Control or maybe even 2008’s Lust Lust Lust.

Right off the bat, “Endless Sleeper” taps out a Bo Diddley beat and jangling guitar riff which puts you in mind of how great this band is at blending the past and the present. They’re Buddy Holly by way of Loveless, blackened by a preoccupation with the seediest and darkest aspects of the human experience. Their lyrics are just as obsessed with heartbreak and death on this record as they’ve ever been, but as Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo get older, so does their awareness of their own lovelorn mortality. Songs like “Killer in the Streets” and “A Hell Below” prove even more how the marriage certificate they signed between rock classicism and otherworldly shoegaze is one of the most successful unions in modern music. Pe’ahi‘s layers of distortion and depression peel back to reveal melodies as sweet and life-affirming as can be. (www.theraveonettes.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10