Le Butcherettes realize their potential with A Raw Youth, with their best songwriting, lyrics, and instrumentals yet. Teri's vocals have never sounded so perfect and diverse, and she delivers some of her best performances yet, like the shrieked outro of "They *** You Over" and the vulnerable "Sold Less than Gold". Omar's bass is punchy and snakelike, and the drums feature complex fills which adds more depth to the album unlike any Le Butcherettes album before. Despite synthesizers often replacing the guitars and vice versa, there never seems to be a gap in the sound as the other instruments are all written well enough to make it nonexistent. The songwriting is also at the band's best here, as every song features phenomenal choruses, soaring vocals, and impactful rhythm sections.
The only thing preventing this from a classic rating is the fact that the two tracks "Lonely and Drunk" and "My Half" are not as focused and cohesive as the rest of the album. While they are not as strong as the rest of the album overall, "Lonely and Drunk" still features an explosive outro and "My Half's" production gives an interesting mix of guitar noodling, funky bass, and cryptic vocals. Personal favorite songs on the album are "La Uva", with Teri's sickly sweet voice contrasting Iggy Pop's deep throaty baritone, "Shave The Pride" with its hard hitting bass and confident vocals, and "My Mallely" with its infectious chorus. However, every song is worth owning on here and Le Butcherettes have established themselves as a strong contender for album of the year with this one. Le Butcherettes are not a band to be missed live, as the songs are as powerful to watch unfold as they are to listen to. Highly recommended.
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