Sleigh Bells

Overview

Teacher-turned-indie goddess Alexis Krauss and waiter-turned-beats master Derek Miller will return to Australia next month. The duo's stentorian synthesis of driving riffs, shredding guitar and rhapsodic melodic hooks has been on high rotation for many a punk rock devotee since M.I.A. signed them to N.E.E.T. Recordings in October 2009.

February 2012 brought the release of Reign of Terror, the follow-up to 2010 debut Treats. The sophomore album sees Sleigh Bells ascend to louder, heavier musical heights, but also carries them through deeper lyrical explorations. Krauss, a curious combination of Joan Jett street tough and Cindy Lauper airiness, croons, moans and belts her way through stories of suicide, brutality and loss. Krauss has described Reign of Terror as "innately much more melodic and guitar-oriented" and "more intimate" than their debut.

As deducible from Reign's live opening track, 'True Shred Guitar', Sleigh Bells' shows are raw, feverish, dynamic affairs, powered by Krauss's relentless energy and Miller's rock-fuelled sound explosions.