REVIEW: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers -- Revelations
Howdy, cowpoke! We’re right in the middle of the fundraiser for issue 4 of the Rainbow Rodeo zine! If you want to keep supporting queer country artists like Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, pre-order your copy, cop a t-shirt, or make a donation here!
Revelations, the new album by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, is the band’s best yet. As frontperson River Shook and I discussed in last month’s podcast, there’s a reason it sounds so confident: Shook took on the producer roll for this album after getting their sea legs on Mightmare, their indie rock project, and helming Izzy Ryder‘s upcoming debut. This confidence translates into Shook’s lyrics: Revelations is about both reclaiming yourself — and demanding more of the world around you.
The Disarmers kick the door down right out of the gate with the title track. Here, Shook combines the personal and political, describing their process of political awakening — ie, shit pay and everyone else blaming you for what you can’t do. This explicitly political thread, new for Shook, continues in “Motherfucker” and “Jane Doe” — not so much a rage against the machine, but certainly a clear-eyed examination of what it is they’re rebelling against.
Additionally, Revelations is also the most explicitly queer work by Shook to date. “Backsliders” doesn’t shy away from referring to a messy queer relationship that should probably end…but not yet. “Criminal,” to me, refers to a relationship that had to be kept secret. Meanwhile, Shook takes a new direction on “Give You All My Love,” one of the band’s few unqualified love songs.
It’s not just Shook stepping into their power as a producer that makes Revelations so strong. As they wrote in issue1 of Rainbow Rodeo, their entry into sobriety has created a newfound clarity. That’s evident here on Revelations, not just with the lyrical content, but with the band’s precision and firm centering of Shook’s literal voice. All in all, this is an album for those seeking the same clarity, with some suggestions on how to find it.
We’re right in the middle of the fundraiser for issue 4 of the Rainbow Rodeo zine! If you want to keep supporting queer country artists like Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, pre-order your copy, cop a t-shirt, or make a donation here!
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers — Official, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Tidal
