‘Nobody Likes A Rat’ is Canada’s Red Light Rippers first full-length release; and like their fellow countrymen Crystal Pistol, they offer sleazy, no-frills rock. With a list of influences that include the likes of early AC/DC and Buckcherry, you can imagine the kind of music these guys play.

With endorsement from the likes of Sleazegrinder, I expected something pretty good from Red Light Rippers. And they do not disappoint.

Clocking in at 1.53, opening track Drag Race sounds every bit as frantic as the title suggests and really sets the tone for the rest of the record.

Trailer Trash Trixie really shows off the husky vocals of singer Staci T. Rat. Similarly, he shrieks his way through I Get The Feelin’, complimented by the rest of the band’s equally raucous backing vocals.

Pills is a catchier track, with a poppy chorus and upbeat sound, while This Dog is just an old-fashioned rocker that definitely shows off the band’s influences. C’Mon Baby has a blistering guitar solo, while the more melodic Addicted ranked as one of my own personal favourites.

This is quite a simple album overall, but it’s a simplicity that works. The majority of tracks are barely three minutes long, showing a punk influence, and the band tear through each song with barely a gasp for breath. If you like dirty, trashy, punk-tinged rock and roll, then you could do worse than buying ‘Nobody Likes A Rat.’

7/10
Suize