triple j Pick of the Week – Ratatat

RATATAT
Abrasive

I tell you what, when 2015 first ticked over I did not expect RATATAT to a) make a comeback, and b) do it in absoluteflawless style. But here we are sixmonths later and the New York duo have hit home runs on their first two singles in five years. First we heard and fell in love with Cream On Chrome, and now they’ve tickled me pink with Abrasive, the second taste off their long-awaited fifth album Magnifique.

Despite the name, Abrasive is anything but – RATATAT take their signature guitar-soaked electro to giddy new heights; it’s a song which starts off making you smile and leaves you grinning from ear to ear. Is it because it’s one of the densest songs the duo have ever made, in parts reaching as many as 30-layered guitars? Is it the animated video clip, hand-drawn by one half of RATATAT Evan Mast, that reminds me of A-ha’s breakthrough Take On Me? Is it because I feel like a character in some boss '90s SNES game when I listen to it? Maybe. I don’t care. It’s great. The new album was recorded over the last four years and is set for a release on July 17, until then there’s only one thing to do: *cue air guitar*