Straight out of the gates, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes set the sensual tone for Dark Rainbow.
Gone is the frenetic punk of 2021’s energetic post-pandemic catharsis album Sticky. It’s in with the grown-up, the considered, and the confident sincerity.
Three singles have already spawned from this long-awaited offering. ‘Man of the Hour,’ ‘Brambles’ and released mere days before the album itself- ‘Self Love.’ All three songs demonstrate the thundering intensity Carter brings to the table with solid lyricism and ingenious imagery.
There is consistency through The Rattlesnakes’ back catalog despite the varying genres and eras of preferred instrumentation; the threads that run through include deep self-reflection coupled with unashamed sexuality and a strong sense of storytelling. These elements have been expertly amplified and exploited throughout Dark Rainbow.
The opening track, ‘Honey,’ draws uncanny inspiration from Queens of the Stone Age riffs but comes into its own quickly. Synth-y’ Man of the Hour’, an epic based around an enigmatic character designed to be considered with a skeptical eye, gives way to the beautifully painful ‘Can I Take You Home,’ then leaping into the bouncy moment of ‘American Spirit.’
As the record moves into the latter half, the tracks become darker and more dynamic, perfectly utilizing piano and string elements. The thumping intensity of ‘Brambles’ coupled with its winding melody and Carter’s stirring vocals, make it one of the definite standouts.
For such a stripped-back track, ‘Sun Bright Golden Happening’ delivers the power to break your heart and rip it from your chest. It is hauntingly arcane and perfectly paced.
The album closes with the title track, building to one of Carter’s most powerful vocal performances of the record, then meandering through an eerie screech of guitars to the finale.
This record’s journey is relentlessly hopeful, notwithstanding its devastating realism. It is self-aware, melancholy, and as delicate as it is gritty.
