Review: Sweat ‘Who Do They Think They Are?’
Sweat’s new album is a rock ‘n’ roll diary and tour scrapbook full of lessons from the School of Hard Knocks. Who Do They Think They Are? was released at the end of May that rolls with the punches they have taken along with their do-rock-or-die dedication. This Pittsburg sleaze outfit is quickly scaling the ladder to whip the charts into rock ‘n’ roll shape. Whether or not they are underground is to be continued, but they found the likes of an independent label from Brooklyn that hails to the epitome of underground American rock ‘n’ roll ensembles.
If you dug Priestess and Bad Wizard released on Tee Pee Records, you will find your way to shakin’ your rusty tail feathers off with Sweat. Now that their presence has been introduced in the House of Stoner, known as Tee Pee Records, which was founded by Tony Presedo, we can rest assured to see Sweat in person throughout the underground live circuit. No dive bar is too far to get out and see this lively band rattle you until you are lonely in the dark and crashing out later with a Billy Squier vinyl next to your heart. You will awake into one of Sweat’s tour stories, where no overture is needed and only wanting to start another day rockin’ with your heart out to this debut album.
Dark Horse (White Lies) is no Katy Perry song but is upbeat and melodic bordering a line of soft pop, rather than hardcore crust punk. It pretty much is an open book, like lead vocalist Sue Pedrazzi and her quattro band with an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows rolled up into a love-crushing album that leaves a trail of broken hearts behind them.
Pedrazzi leads with crisp clean vocals whilst clearing the band with a string section. Originally hailing from Basel, Swiss female keyboardists are up against any stale, stagnant resonance out there but Pedrazzi is built like Joan Jett and equipped with a dark, in-depth Lita Ford voice. Uriah Heap would be proud, if not Peter Green as all this band really needs to do next is cover The Green Manalishi. Let’s not get off the subject and find out if the rest of the album helps us stay on track to our absolute, rock ‘n’ roll course.
It’s time to get magical about Sweat…
Sweat is one letter away from being the best band to strut to on the face of the earth. Even though they are not Sweet, they do, however, have some stunners on this ten-song album. Jane isn’t meant to be drowning in sorrow, but whether she is singing about the reefer or a past bandmate remains to be distinguished.
Pedrazzi belts out husky vocals to every single love rock song she writes as Running Around is yet another love song and by far the heaviest on the entire album. It then comes back down to ground us with My Side Of The Mountain and the rock ballad showcase introduces us to some woodwinds before it picks back up and crashes back down with solo instrumentalists collaborating on a melodic level together. The outro, Into the Lake, whisps us back out to Pedrazzi humming like a butterfly that’s been on a rock binger throughout the night and day.
It’s time to get magical about Sweat and our rock ‘n’ roll lessons from here on out. Stay in school, love is for the broken-hearted, and as Stevie Nicks would say, a ‘fools’ game’.
Label: Tee Pee Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Spring ‘The Strutter’ Chase
