Secret Rituals

For some this will be The Grates’ great leap forward. The time when the band that were once all elbows and knees finally get serious and display what they’re really capable of. For others, this third album will be a desertion on the dance floor, and a trading in of what made them so fantastic in the first place. In that respect, Secret Rituals can feel a little like a ledger of artistic assets: for the band to come out on top, the final statement needs to show a positive balance of improved songwriting over receding whacked-out style.

The background to the making of this album of course wasn’t so simple. There was the move to Brooklyn, the departure of drummer Alana Skyring, and the subsequent inclusion of – wait for it! – a proper rhythm section. Perhaps what’s been overlooked, however, is that remaining members John Patterson and Patience Hodgson are moving into their late ’20s, a time in your life when you realise you’re allowed to be honest, wear your heart on your sleeve a little, and maybe grow old with a modicum of grace.

But even the most open-minded of Grates fans must have been a little taken aback by the frankness found on lead single, ‘Turn Me On’. Tightly-wound and purposeful, Patterson’s guitars and synth capture a heady paranoia, Hodgson confessing via line after line of red-ink lyrics: “Wrap yourself around me, do it just define me/Do it to ignite me, do it as a friend.” Front-end loaded for maximum impact, ‘Turn Me On’ is a clear statement of intent and a minor triumph in coiled songwriting. As if to drive home the point, it’s backed by two equally focussed efforts in ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Like You Could Have It All’. Together, the songs make for a powerful opening triumvirate, setting the controlled pace and tone for the rest of Secret Rituals to follow.

Archived embedded media 1 withheld pending rights reviewImage details are recorded in the restoration file. The Grates - Turn Me On by FBi Radio

When The Grates do let their hair down in 2011 it’s with a weighty crunch rather than a freewheeling spaz out. A cut like ‘Borrowed Skin’ displays a muscularity that wouldn’t have been possible a couple of years ago and lifts the lid on The Grates’ current passion for The Breeders – another group whose sound changed remarkably as they hit their late-’20s, early-’30s. Perhaps the most remarkable moment on the album is ‘Welcome To The Middle’, simply because it’s so close and yet so different to the kind of song The Grates used to write. There’s the typical humour and self-reflexivity here, but no longer is it delivered in a bratty style. Rather, Hodgson hums and coos her lyrics with a fragile composure that begins to beguile on repeated listens.

Yes, it’s undeniable: something has been lost with this latest edition of The Grates. But then something has been gained too, and to judge the results off just one album is probably unfair. Secret Rituals feels like a debut LP, not simply because it sounds so different, but because Hodgson and Patterson are perhaps yet to master their new skill sets. Their next is bound to be better, but music as accomplished as this should be allowed at least a little bit of isolation in its appreciation. The Grates have changed – the sooner you accept that the sooner you can relax and enjoy this very impressive record.

by Matt Shea