Wednesday - Rat Saw God (Black) Vinyl LP

Their third album and first for Dead Oceans, Wednesday's 'Rat Saw God' became one of the year's most talked-about indie rock albums even before its official release, and it lives up to the hype. It's bolder, grander, and flat-out better than anything they've released prior, picking up where 2021's 'Twin Plagues' left off and fusing alt-country, shoegaze, grunge in their '90s-influenced but always unique way. Songs like the country-gazing "Chosen to Deserve" and the eight-and-a-half minute grunge epic "Bull Believer" are the work of a band who demands to be heard, and the rest of the album follows suit. There are heavy, loud guitars that would've shaken alt-rock radio in the '90s, and there are soft, countrified moments that are perfect for lazy Sundays. Karly Hartzman's singing and lyrical style are both gripping and full of range, and the moments when she and Jake Lenderman (aka MJ Lenderman) sing together add an additional, special layer of warmth. There are certain aspects of 'Rat Saw God' that fit in with today's indie zeitgeist, but Wednesday don't seem very concerned about following trends, which gives the album an already-timeless quality, and it would turn heads no matter what year or decade it was released.