Review | Dead Rat Society – Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos

Label: Cheese Crumb

By Charva Pinfold

‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos‘ is probably the perfect name for Dead Rat Society’s debut album. How else do you describe a dance punk outfit whose opening gambit is to have their lead vocalist emerge from the crowd wearing a stained white boiler suit and a rat mask?

The London-based four-piece say they take cues from The Beastie Boys and Nine Inch Nails, which is modest given how memorably varied ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos‘ is over its twenty seven minute run time. ‘Bounce Back‘ is one track on the album that epitomises how quickly a Dead Rat Society track can change, where indie-sleaze melds with a hip-hop backbeat, delayed wiring vocals and uptempo jazz flute.

Meanwhile the album’s opener, ‘The Night‘, is a deep dive into debauchery, intoxication and anxiety. Lead vocalist Ed Harris hisses and writhes as he dissects the moments that lead to a night out taking a turn for the worse, leading to the shoutable hook, ‘Boom! There goes my mind. Thought I made a choice but I struggle to define what I want!’ You almost want to run from the sirens and chaos, but the sugar trap backbone of the track is slow-motion-walk badass.

‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos‘ is also peppered with moments of levity in wholly unexpected places. Whether it’s the deranged sarcastic swipes taken out at the world during ‘Needed The Sun‘, or a snippet of Chancellor Palpatine’s dialogue from Revenge of the Sith during ‘Shoplifters Welcome‘, it’s an album that constantly keeps you guessing where it may go next.

And just as you’re about to laugh, Dead Rat Society introduce ‘Leave With Care‘, a bedroom anti-pop howl that lays everything out there as it explores the chasm of fading relationships and loss.

This record is punk in length and unforgiving at times, for sure. But there’s so much more to explore with ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos‘ for fans of hip-hop, grunge, EDM and more. It’s impossible to try to unpack the surprising emotional heft of this record after a few listens and that’s where this record shines: in the fun of going back and trying to fit the pieces back together.