Album Review: The Rills - 'Don't Be A Stranger'
The Rills finally release their debut album after years on the scene.
The Lincoln band were named on the NME 100 in 2022 where many expected them to follow up on that glorious bit of publicity with an album. However none came, until now where their fantastic debut Don’t Be A Stranger releases on 1st November.
They first gained attention on TikTok during the Covid lockdown where they garnered millions of views and likes. That eventually translated to millions of streams on EP’s and single, many of which don’t feature here. It’s The Rills telling us that they’re a creative, fast moving band, whose previous releases, some from just a year ago, no longer fully represent them as a band.
Following from opener Seasick, a pretty simple tune with a post-punk style bassline in contrast to a light guitar riff mimicking the intonation of the vocals. The album continues with single I Don’t Wanna Be, a self-assured and confident track leaning further into punk than indie, an interesting decision and a huge statement on one of the first songs on their debut album, what is sure to be the first introduction to the band for many. ‘A tale of unapologetic self-affirmation and outgrowing the limited mentality of small-town living’ frontman Mitch Spencer describes the song, ‘It’s me trying to find my place in the world. It’s about understanding that it doesn’t matter if I’m different. I’m not going to fit in with everybody and I don’t give a fuck. It’s an anthem.’ It’s high energy and part of a great introduction to not only the LP but also to the band, especially to their values and ideals, it's what a lot of their music is about.
Next track Drive likens a budding courtship to a race in two cars. ‘You run all of the lights when you’re driving through my mind’ Spencer sings. Bassist Callum Warner-Webb cites Formula One as a key influence on the album and its especially apparent on this song, ‘It feels like there’s a rivalry playing out that’s so great, it’s almost a romance. They can’t live with each other, but they can’t live without each other. They go from haters to lovers then to strangers, and back again.’
Your Dad’s Car is a lovely change of pace, it's a slower, more ballad-y track, featuring maybe the best vocals on the album in the chorus. It’s much more romantic and earnest, giving the listing a slightly different flavour. Spencer admits ‘I was trying to exorcise some demons on that one, I was trying to be really simple with it. The idea was just the feeling.’ Mistake carries on with this more reflective and passionate vibe, only adding more powerful guitars in its chorus.
The Rills have long been compared to The Libertines and it seems they're most similar on POV. The Lincoln trio have cited the band as one of its heaviest inspirations and it's clear that they had a huge influence on this tune in particular. The guitar tone, the simple drumming and slurred conversational vocals, most often employed by Pete Doherty are all present.
‘Were you just a stranger? Were you just a lover? And back again’ Spencer repeats on the final song, EP lead Angel In The Snow. It’s a cracking way to end the album, possibly being the best of the lot. The guitar parts are fantastic, really fuzzy but remnant in the verses and then light and endearing in the choruses. It’s the closest thing The Rills have to an epic so far, and at just three minutes and 30 seconds, that's really impressive. It does a lot with that time. ‘The overriding feeling I get from this song is hope,’ says Spencer. ‘It’s one of the more melancholic songs on the record, but there’s a sense of closure to it. It’s definitive.’ He describes the track as ‘the best snapshot of the whole album: self-aware, angsty but ultimately hopeful.’
This a great debut from The Rills, who are hoping the album will propel them into a huge year of festivals. An in-store album tour comes first, playing at Rough Trade stores in London, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol and Leeds, which are all sure to be a cathartic celebration of their hard work up to this point for the trio, before surely embarking on a more comprehensive tour once the album has had the chance to catch the ears of music fans around the continent.
Words by Luca Jarman
