The Grates - Secret Rituals

The Grates are one of Australia's best alternative pop acts. Their take on the power trio has been successfully grinding out pop gems since the early 2000s. Secret Rituals is their third album, and the first since founding member Alana Skyring departed.

The departure of a founding member can easily shake a band up, especially when it means that a third of your members have gone. I also think that the contribution of drummers to music is frequently underappreciated. Perhaps I took That Thing You Do too seriously (if you haven't seen it, it's well worth a watch) but I think a good drummer can elevate an otherwise average group. I suspect that we won't see the full impact of Alana's departure until The Grates follow this album up, as I suspect most of it was written (and maybe even recorded) prior to the parting of ways.

Secret Rituals is not a major departure by any stretch of the imagination. These 11 songs sound like The Grates in almost every way, and that's no bad thing. What The Grates have always had going for them was the sense that making music was a huge pile of fun. Patience never seems to have lost that youthful enthusiasm for singing that gave their early work so much energy.

The other thing these songs have going for them is that they all sound like classic girl group music of the '60s. There's an abundance of 'ooh aah's and the like. Not that the music sounds dated, just familiar. Like buying a brand new pair of shoes and having them fit like a favourite worn in pair.  The major departure from the retro feel of the songwriting is Like You Could Have It All. A song that sounds a lot like '90s Britpop group Elastica. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I really liked Elastica.

The Grates two previous albums have both been nominated for Triple J's J Award for the best Australian album of the year. Neither album won. I don't think Secret Rituals is the album that's going to get them over the line. It's fun, and familiar, but it doesn't really connect emotionally enough to really lodge in the mind.