Sleater-Kinney - "Untidy Creature"

Photo by Chris Hornbecker

"Untidy Creature" continues Sleater-Kinney's musical evolution into a new, unexpected direction. This new single sounds nothing like the iconic band's classic 90's albums, but it also doesn't sound anything like their more recent pop/electronic focused albums, either. Instead, "Untidy Creature" follows previous singles "Hell" and "Say It Like You Mean It" into a new territory. If The Center Won't Hold and Path of Wellness showed a band in transition and trying out a new sound, the singles off their upcoming album show a band figuring out that new sound. "Untidy Creature" may be more pop than we would have expected Sleater-Kinney to get, but this feels like a natural progression for them to have gone in. This one is a power ballad, but a power ballad bursting out of classic Sleater-Kinney.

Sleater-Kinney say of their new single:

“‘Untidy Creature’ was the first song we wrote for Little Rope, although we didn’t know it at the time; we weren’t certain we were even working on another record. We also worried it had come too easy, the song featured two elements that come very naturally to Sleater-Kinney: a big guitar riff, an even bigger vocal. But as the year wore on, and our choices and bodily autonomy shrank, our feeling about the song changed. It became a gift, somewhere to put our darkest fears, and our deepest hopes. We sometimes feel trapped or angry, and yet still we breathe.” 

You can watch the video for "Untidy Creature" below. Little Rope is due out January 19 on Loma Vista, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Sleater-Kinney, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

02/28/2024 - San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

02/29/2024 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl

03/01/2024 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre

03/02/2024 - Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater

03/04/2024 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom

03/05/2024 - Dallas, TX @ Studio at the Factory

03/06/2024 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater

03/08/2024 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater

03/09/2024 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern

03/11/2024 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa

03/12/2024 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem

03/13/2024 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

03/14/2024 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

03/16/2024 - New York, NY @ Racket *SOLD OUT*

03/17/2024 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *SOLD OUT*

03/18/2024 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts *SOLD OUT*

03/20/2024 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall

03/21/2024 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre

03/22/2024 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

03/23/2024 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre

03/25/2024 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman

03/26/2024 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom

03/28/2024 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern

03/29/2024 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco

03/30/2024 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

03/31/2024 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

04/02/2024 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

04/03/2024 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

04/04/2024 - Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue

04/05/2024 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *SOLD OUT*