Ratworld
Ratworld is the debut studio album by Leeds-based band Menace Beach. The album was released through Memphis Industries on 19 January 2015.
| Ratworld | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 January 2015 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, surf punk | |||
| Length | 32:52 | |||
| Label | Memphis | |||
| Menace Beach chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Ratworld | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Clash | 6/10[3] |
| Contactmusic.com | 3.5/5[4] |
| DIY | |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[6] |
| The Guardian | |
| Loud and Quiet | 6/10[8] |
| musicOMH | |
| NME | 8/10[10] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.1/10[11] |
Critical reception
Ratworld received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has been given a score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 reviews.[1] Stephen Ackroyd of DIY raved the album, saying "Ratworld is that rarest of beasts—a debut album that’s got a backstory running deeper than all six seasons of Lost, but still sounds like it’s delivered without any requirement for effort whatsoever." Ackroyd gave the album five out of five stars.[5] Al Horner at NME gave the album 8/10 praising their sound and musicianship, saying that Ratland "may relish a world on the brink of chaos, but this is a band with their shit together."[10] Pitchfork Media's Evan Rytlewski gave the album 7.1/10 complimenting the band's embracing of their influences, as well as their energy. Rytlewski wrote Menace Beach "bottles and concentrates the exuberance of [1990s] era's alterna-pop".[11]
Andy Peterson of Contactmusic.com gave the album a more mixed-review. Peterson felt that the album "their resolutely DIY aesthetic in the wrong hands could be a minefield of derivation"; however, he backpedaled and said the despite this that Ratworld " manages to bottle enough psy-kookiness in the thirteen tracks here to hold even the most wayward of attentions".[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Come On Give Up" | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Elastic" | 2:34 |
| 3. | "Dropouts" | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Lowtalkin'" | 1:44 |
| 5. | "Blue Eye" | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Dig It Up" | 2:31 |
| 7. | "Tennis Court" | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Ratworld" | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Tastes Like Medicine" | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Pick Out The Pieces" | 2:18 |
| 11. | "Infinite Donut" | 2:15 |
| 12. | "Fortune Teller" | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 32:52 | |
References
- "Ratworld – Menace Beach". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Monger, Timothy. "Ratworld – Menace Beach". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Smith, Mat (13 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". Clash. Music Republic Ltd. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Peterson, Andy (13 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Ackroyd, Stephen (14 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". DIY. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Burrows, Marc (16 January 2015). "Album Review: Menace Beach – Ratworld". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Hann, Michael (8 January 2015). "Menace Beach: Ratworld review – fuzzily enthusiastic alt-rock pastiche". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- West, James (January 2015). "Ratworld by Menace World". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Raymond, Max (18 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". musicOMH. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Horner, Al (9 January 2015). "Menace Beach – 'Ratworld'". NME. Inspire. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- Rytlewski, Evan (23 January 2015). "Menace Beach: Ratworld". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
