Lab Rat
In The Walls We Wait
Mushroom Pillow
What do you do when an album opens with a track reminiscent of filth anthem ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails? That’s right! You turn the track right up, sit down and devour the rest of the record while you’re at it. Beautiful indie/grunge boy Lab Rat makes equally beautiful songs about bad bits of life. But, oh my, they sound so good. Addictive catchy ‘Medicate Me’ has a real nineties riff and lo-fi feel. ‘Rolling Loud’ is a total Bush-esque banger. ‘Exit Path’ is a musically multi-layered, lyrically lamenting lost love song with a Twenty One Pilots kick. ‘Lost In Soho’ is a pacey rocker. So that’s what the songs sound like. But to leave this review there would be rubbish journalism and utterly insulting to Lab Rat, who has poured his broken heart and shredded soul into this record. ‘In The Walls We Wait’ is an album packed with meaning, honesty, longing and loathing. Addiction, loss, unbearable lows and leaving it all behind (in more ways than one) are topics. ‘You Are Not Alone’ flicks off Lab Rat’s tongue fast – but the lyrics are like a razor to the heart. They hurt. Badly. No one should feel like this song. But many do, and ‘You Are Not Alone’ offers hope, support and a strong arm to pull people out of this situation. And when you start to think about it in this light, ‘In The Walls We Wait’ becomes poetry. And therapy.
Review by Jo Wright