On first listen, it feels like there’s a disconnect between the title of the new Illuminati Hotties record and the music contained within. ‘Power’ throws up a number of suggested meanings: all-consuming sound, empowerment, heaviness. But is that what we expect from Sarah Tudzin’s melody-led indie-rock? Certainly not in a standard way.
Even the artwork is paradoxical – there’s something humble, awkward even, about the way Tudzin is captured perched on a stool. Instead, perhaps, the power comes from owning and releasing the bucketfuls of feeling she has inside in a manner that shows how creatively sure of herself she is.
‘Power’ displays her knowledge of her sonic identity, even if it’s not always hugely far-reaching. What it is, though, is bright, breezy, endearingly dorky and digestible, right from the softly catchy opener Can’t Be Still – a very 2024 ode to being wired all hours of the day.
The animated, percussive I Would Like, Still Love You finds Tudzin confessing to an infatuation that would outlast arson or murder while Sleeping In is more wholesome, possessing a dreamy wooziness not unlike the feelings of lounging around with that special someone.
The LP’s quirks are subtle, but peek through just enough to mean these tracks don’t blur into one long, whimsical piece of music. There’s a slight wonkiness to YSL, for example, and the woody guitar chords powering You Are Not Who You Were offer a departure from the guitar tones used elsewhere on the record.
The hushed Rot has a beautiful sense of intimacy, almost as if Tudzin is murmuring into your ear. ‘Power’ is not the sort of album that grabs you by the collar — it’s almost more concerned with cultivating a slow-burning relationship with whoever picks it up.
Illuminati Hotties Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed September 25 2024 - SANTA ANA - Constellation Room at The Observatory (USA)
Thu September 26 2024 - SAN DIEGO California - Casbah - CA (USA)
Sat September 28 2024 - SAN FRANCISCO - Chapel (USA)
Sun September 29 2024 - SACRAMENTO California - Goldfield Trading Post - Sacramento (USA)
Tue October 01 2024 - PORTLAND Oregon - Mississippi Studios (USA)
Wed October 02 2024 - VANCOUVER - Biltmore Cabaret - BC (Canada)
Thu October 03 2024 - SEATTLE Washington - Neumos (USA)
Fri October 04 2024 - BOISE Idaho - Neurolux Lounge (USA)
Sat October 05 2024 - SALT LAKE CITY Utah - Kilby Court (USA)
Sun October 06 2024 - DENVER Colorado - Larimer Lounge (USA)
Tue October 08 2024 - SAINT PAUL Minnesota - Turf Club (USA)
Wed October 09 2024 - MILWAUKEE Wisconsin - Vivarium (USA)
Thu October 10 2024 - CHICAGO Illinois - Lincoln Hall (USA)
Fri October 11 2024 - HAMTRAMCK - Sanctuary (USA)
Sat October 12 2024 - TORONTO Ontario - Longboat Hall at The Great Hall (Canada)
Tue October 15 2024 - SOUTH BURLINGTON - Higher Ground - Showcase Lounge (USA)
Wed October 16 2024 - CAMBRIDGE MA Massachusetts - Sinclair (USA)
Thu October 17 2024 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia (USA)
Fri October 18 2024 - NEW YORK New York - Bowery Ballroom (USA)
Sat October 19 2024 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - Black Cat (USA)
Sun October 20 2024 - DURHAM North Carolina - Motorco Music Hall (USA)
Tue October 22 2024 - NASHVILLE Tennessee - End Nashville (USA)
Wed October 23 2024 - ATLANTA Georgia - Masquerade - Purgatory (USA)
Sat October 26 2024 - DALLAS Texas - Club Dada (USA)
Sun October 27 2024 - HOUSTON Texas - White Oak Music Hall (USA)
Tue October 29 2024 - SANTA FE - Tumbleroot Brewery (USA)
Wed October 30 2024 - PHOENIX Arizona - Rebel Lounge - Phoenix (USA)
Fri November 01 2024 - LOS ANGELES California - Teragram Ballroom (USA)
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