Grade: B+
I’ll admit, when the music video for “Bitter Rivals” first showed up on my newsfeed, the image of guitarist Derek Miller wearing a Tyrann Mathieu jersey and shoving a tiger-striped guitar into the camera won me over before I even hit play. Fortunately, the song is cool enough to back up the video. Led by the punk-rock power of singer Alexis Krauss, the track roars to life on the verses before bringing it down for a chorus with the kind of infectious hook that takes days to shake. Though certainly catchy, the production on “Bitter Rivals” comes off much clearer and cleaner than Sleigh Bells’ signature lo-fi sound from past albums. Props for taking a new — and more accessible — direction for a new album, but part of me still prefers them unpolished.