Album Review: Rabbit Troupe - Treasures Are Miniscule

Album Rating: A-

Lately I have come to a conclusion that there is no better genre of music than dirty, loud, and catchy punk. It can easily channel any emotion just as good as any other genre of music, so why not do it via lo-fi recording techniques and blunt yet honest and effective lyrics? There's nothing that makes recordings more human and relatable than a couple of raw, untampered with tracks recorded in somebody's basement. Everything good about punk and music in general, from songs about heartbreak to songs soundtracking a drunken escapade, is presented in the latest output from New Jersey's Rabbit Troupe, in the form of a dirty fifteen minute EP, Treasures Are Miniscule.

Rabbit Troupe normally has a very Guided By Voices-esque approach to recording, most notably on their contribution to NotRock's latest holiday compilation, the yuletide anthem "Christmas Crunch". But on Treasures Are Miniscule, Rabbit Troupe seems to have gone with a recording style that while still sounding raw and unprocessed, remains consistent throughout the length of the release. But the abrasiveness of Treasures Are Miniscule doesn't keep the clever lyrics and catchy hooks from embedding themselves in your head. For example, the hipster bashing opener, "Paramecium", features crafty Cloud Nothings-esque guitar riffs and an infectious chorus reminiscent of times when Green Day was cool. Rabbit Troupe draws ques from a wide range of influences, such as on the brief but effective track "Books Can Be Decieving", a laid back twee song sounding somewhere between Belle and Sebastian and Yo La Tengo.

Another one of Rabbit Troupe's strong points are their lyrics, such as on the four minute breakup recalling "Spherical Brother". The track is definitely the most personal on the release, featuring lines such as "missionary was not enough to keep things new". But while most of the EP does not feature many tracks detailing anything emotionally affecting, repetitious and catchy lines such as "it's fun to walk around drunk with you" and "we're head to toe to head in this conneticut hell" make the tracks and the often sluggish vocals that much more fun. Treasures Are Miniscule is nothing but fifteen minutes of abrasive, emotionally varying lo-fi rock , and is something that any fan of punk music will be able to enjoy.


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Trackist:
01 Paramecium
02 South St. Seaport
03 Excellent Rage
04 Books Can Be Deceiving
05 Spherical Brother
06 Instant Churchill