With the arrival of spring comes Tacocat and their third full-length album – ‘Lost Time’. The Seattle quartet show they have a knack for writing summery surf-pop meets grrrl-punk wrapped in a nerdy and feminist skin. The end result paints a colourful picture, one that shows self-awareness.
‘Lost Talk’ can be seen as part socially conscious and part sugary indie pop. The latter can be heard on early cut ‘FDP’ with its thriving punk stance; “FDP! Don’t fuck with me.” The grungy ‘Plan A, Plan B’ sees frontwoman Emily Noakes provide a plucky snapshot of modern dating, whilst ‘Men Explaining Things To Me’ confronts misogynistic values in a proud and (somewhat) sarcastic manner.
Besides the ideal feminist numbers, Tacocat do show a tongue-in-cheek side – The X-Files-influenced ‘Dana Katherine Scully’ charms as they pay tribute to the character, whilst Hometown lover letter ‘I Love Seattle’ jangles with its “oohs” and “ahhhs” through its playful rhyming; “Earthquake, tsunami, there’s no place I’d rather be.”
‘I Hate The Weekend’ thrives off a harmonious doo-wop approach and galloping tempo, ironically resulting in a potential Saturday indie disco anthem. ‘Horse Grrl’ serves as a midpoint highlight as its turgid tempo erupts into a confident rock ‘n’ roll manner as Noakes sings “horse girls, they live in a different world.” Meanwhile, the beach-ready ‘Nightswimming’ boasts pop sensibilities alongside a summery pluckiness and escapist, tongue-in-cheek lyrics (“you can bring a boombox, but you can’t play R.E.M.”).
For the most part ‘Lost Time’ pleases, but by the time you reach songs like the hand clap-drenched ‘Leisure Bees’ and ‘Talk’ send the album in a lacklustre sense of familiarity.
Whilst the band’s serious lyrical side isn’t as instant as some of the hooks on offer, ‘Lost Time’ grows into a upbeat and witty record. Tacocat are simply a fun band that stick to their values.
2.5/5
‘Lost Time’ by Tacocat is out now on Hardly Art.
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Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)
