[rating=8.00]
Back in 2015, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats rocketed to “house-hold name” status on the strength of the immensely catchy “S.O.B.” and a memorable performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that quickly went viral. It was a long time coming for Rateliff, who had achieved some acclaim for his earlier solo releases but remained largely under the radar before trying his hand at more hard-hitting soul music. On Tearing at the Seams, he and the Night Sweats sound determined not to let their moment slip; expertly expanding on the blueprint established by their self-titled debut with stronger songs, stronger vision, and the kind of crackling energy that made them a live sensation at shows and festivals over the last couple years.
While the album doesn’t feature a knockout lead single like “S.O.B.” there’s also not a throwaway track in the bunch. From the loose swaggering funk of opener “Shoe Boot” right through to the slow bloom of the closing title track, Tearing at the Seams features what might be Rateliff’s best writing to date. His lyrics blend together struggle, sensuality, nostalgia, and hope with the sense that, for him, there’s always light at the end of every dark tunnel, all carried by a knack for classic-sounding melodies that get stuck in your head.
While a one or two tunes hear feel as though they could have easily fit in snuggly on the last record, much of this album marks a widening of the band’s palette. Rateliff calls back to his folk roots on cuts like “Hey Mama” and the standout “Still Out There Running”, a song whose Van Morrison-esque sway feels destined to soundtrack many a lazy summer evening. Even when they’re using the same tools they always have, it’s clear that they’ve really learned how to use them together. Whether it’s the way they withhold the horns in “A Little Honey” until its arms-held-high chorus, or the way the keyboards, guitars, and Rateliff’s stronger-than-ever vocals all bounce around each other on “Coolin’ Out”, the album is excellently constructed, while remaining engrossingly lively. Where their debut was a solid experiment in genre-worship, Tearing at the Seams is a band coming into its own and firing on all cylinders, successfully cementing the success they’ve achieved.
