by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor —
There’s nothing really “tongue in cheek” you can glean from the cover of The Rumours new release Suck It. It’s really more “tongue NOT in cheek,” as it were. But the irreverence, the whole “don’t care” attitude is certainly conveyed by the cover, which carries over to the music as well. It’s snarky, it’s in your face, it’s anthemic, but more than anything, it’s fun. Not good clean fun, though; go to church for that kinds of smarm.
The Punk and Hard Rock band slaps you in the teeth at the onset with “Hey You.” Hands down, if The Erotics and The Rumours could ever tour together it’d be worth the sonic scars you’d walk away with. Lead singer Carli Foxx, while melodic, has a cutting-torch edge to her voice when she wants to use it, and it’s all full speed ahead bombast on “Hey You.”
“Never Comin’ Back” drips with more melody from the guitars, but the vocals are still in your face. “I’ve packed, my shit, I’m gone, and I’m never coming back.” This is one of E-Harmony non-fairy tale endings, as it should be. This one features a longer guitar solo, something this kind of music isn’t always known for, and it adds a unique facet to this genre of music.
They don’t ever slow down, but “Caroline Brown” wields a sexual, pumping grind, and Foxx softens the blow during the first verse, reverting back to a more snarled version later. Is it bluesy? Yeah, for Punk Rock, this is about a bluesy as you’ll hear, and they do it well. Looks like they may have painted themselves into a corner with the first few tracks, but “Caroline Brown” proves they have the chops and writing skills to paint themselves out should they so desire. It’s the best track on the release, for all those reasons and more.
If Faster Pussycat circa 1989 wrong a song for The Rumours, it may sound a lot like this. It begins with an almost Jerry Lee Lewis inspired shout out, and then turns into a blazing, blade-spinning rocker.
“Put Your Love on My Face.” A title like that doesn’t deserve to be attached to such a wicked cool song, but they went that direction. An amalgam of Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Femme Fatale, etc. this one slides safely into home as the next best track after “Caroline Brown.”
You just know “L.A. Trends” has a good chance at mocking a movement, or more so, those who “thrive” in that element. C’mon, The Rumours are from Iowa–think they have time for that kind of egotistical blather? It isn’t any of those things, though. That happened earlier on “Phone Calls,” where Foxx accuses with the words, “So you’re a big rock star, huh? Better than everybody else? What are ya … fucking 40? Hah!”
In some ways, Suck It is what you’d expect from the genre they play in. But there are moments where they show they can slink around the fringes while staying true to their original sound. Not that it matters if they do explore–The Rumours already own an abrasive, somewhat cheerfully pissed off, barb-wired, fast and heavy as they want to be Rock N’ Roll sound. Suck It just makes you beg for more …
Genre: Hard Rock/Punk Rock
Band:
Carli Foxx – lead vocals, guitar, background vocals
Daniel Kluiter – drums, background vocals
Ela Rose – bass, background vocals
Stu The Dew – lead guitar, background vocals
Tracklisting:
01. Hey You
02. Never Comin’ Back
03. Electric Blues
04. Caroline Brown
05. Phone Calls
06. Take Me Shake Me
07. Put Your Love On My Face
08. You Suck, Baby
09. L.A. Trends
Label: Independent
Online:
https://www.facebook.com/TheRumoursBand13
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(7.9 / 10)