Rat Jacket [LP]

Vinyl LP pressing. 2017 EP release. In 2016 Street Sects arrived with the intensity and volume of a gunshot. Their debut album End Position was a merciless, post-industrial declaration of suicidal intent. Now, the Austin, TX duo returns with Rat Jacket. It is not exactly a follow-up; rather, it represents a brief step to the side, an intentional detour. Still maintaining their sample-based foundation, the songs here experiment with melody and organic instrumentation. The record deals with loyalty, trust, betrayal, paranoia, and the sadness and regret that comes with the acceptance of our own selfish nature. If End Position was a bullet to the head, then Rat Jacket is a knife in the back. Street Sects formed in 2013 after vocalist Leo Ashline emerged from the fog of a thirteen-year battle with addiction and began collaborating with friend and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Ringsmuth. Disgusted with life but eager for catharsis, the duo embraced the experimental attitude and disillusionment of early industrial music pioneers, eschewing traditional rock music instrumentation and arrangement in favor of modern sampling technology and harsh electronics. Together they released a series of singles and honed their fierce and confrontational live performance before releasing their debut on The Flenser.