8/10

Ever since they made their mark on the scene with their breakthrough sophomore LP 'I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone' in 2020, North Carolina's Wednesday have been a band that has been hard to define and tie down. With many tapping them with the grunge label in recent years, much of their output in recent years has seen them branch into a shoegaze-meets-country ideal, a genre that they quickly established for themselves. But after a prolific run of releases since then, they return with their fifth full-length 'Rat Saw God', a record that looks to refine some of their looser moments into a fully-formed direction.

While their energy and aesthetic on this new collection certainly calls back to the old Wednesday in many places, 'Rat Saw God' feels like a far more confident and assured listen throughout. Capturing a wonderfully warm yet haunted guitar-led approach throughout, their latest offering heightens their more rustic moments into a raw and driven atmosphere from beginning to end, creating an alluring tone that packs itself with plenty of power and emotion as often as possible.

Although they still sit on the peripheries of mainstream appeal, 'Rat Saw God' could go down as their most impactful release to date. Brimming with a fresh and captivating aura that sees singer Karly Hartzman give her all throughout, they could certainly easily break out of their US base and become the UK's next favourite band in the months ahead.