Ratworld is the debut studio album by Leeds-based band Menace Beach. The album was released through Memphis Industries on 19 January 2015.

Ratworld
Studio album by
Released15 January 2015 (2015-01-15)
GenreIndie rock, surf punk
Length32:52
LabelMemphis
Menace Beach chronology
Lowtalker EP
(2014)
Ratworld
(2015)
Lemon Memory
(2017)
Singles from Ratworld
  1. "Come On Give Up"
    Released: September 22, 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Clash6/10[3]
Contactmusic.com3.5/5[4]
DIY[5]
Drowned in Sound7/10[6]
The Guardian[7]
Loud and Quiet6/10[8]
musicOMH[9]
NME8/10[10]
Pitchfork Media7.1/10[11]

Critical reception

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Ratworld received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has been given a score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 reviews.[1] Stephen Ackroyd of DIY raved the album, saying "Ratworld is that rarest of beasts—a debut album that’s got a backstory running deeper than all six seasons of Lost, but still sounds like it’s delivered without any requirement for effort whatsoever." Ackroyd gave the album five out of five stars.[5] Al Horner at NME gave the album 8/10 praising their sound and musicianship, saying that Ratland "may relish a world on the brink of chaos, but this is a band with their shit together."[10] Pitchfork Media's Evan Rytlewski gave the album 7.1/10 complimenting the band's embracing of their influences, as well as their energy. Rytlewski wrote Menace Beach "bottles and concentrates the exuberance of [1990s] era's alterna-pop".[11]

Andy Peterson of Contactmusic.com gave the album a more mixed-review. Peterson felt that the album "their resolutely DIY aesthetic in the wrong hands could be a minefield of derivation"; however, he backpedaled and said the despite this that Ratworld " manages to bottle enough psy-kookiness in the thirteen tracks here to hold even the most wayward of attentions".[4]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Come On Give Up"2:45
2."Elastic"2:34
3."Dropouts"2:44
4."Lowtalkin'"1:44
5."Blue Eye"3:53
6."Dig It Up"2:31
7."Tennis Court"2:45
8."Ratworld"2:41
9."Tastes Like Medicine"3:03
10."Pick Out The Pieces"2:18
11."Infinite Donut"2:15
12."Fortune Teller"3:38
Total length:32:52

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ratworld – Menace Beach". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Ratworld – Menace Beach". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  3. ^ Smith, Mat (13 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". Clash. Music Republic Ltd. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b Peterson, Andy (13 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b Ackroyd, Stephen (14 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". DIY. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  6. ^ Burrows, Marc (16 January 2015). "Album Review: Menace Beach – Ratworld". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ Hann, Michael (8 January 2015). "Menace Beach: Ratworld review – fuzzily enthusiastic alt-rock pastiche". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  8. ^ West, James (January 2015). "Ratworld by Menace World". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  9. ^ Raymond, Max (18 January 2015). "Menace Beach – Ratworld". musicOMH. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  10. ^ a b Horner, Al (9 January 2015). "Menace Beach – 'Ratworld'". NME. Inspire. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  11. ^ a b Rytlewski, Evan (23 January 2015). "Menace Beach: Ratworld". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 23 January 2015.