sleigh bells

Brooklyn based comes the duo Alexis Krauss (vocalist, lyricist) and Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer). Miller was formerly the guitarist for the hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a member of the teen pop group RubyBlue. They are electronic yet pop noise in the indie spectrum of things.

The first time I saw Sleigh Bells was back in 2010. If I remember correctly, I’d been dragged to a makeshift venue in Brooklyn to see some band that I didn’t care anything about. If I remember correctly, there was a snowstorm that night and by the time we got to the show we’d already missed the band we’d come to see. Rather than call it a night, we stuck around to see who played next, which appeared to consist of a really pretty girl who looked like a cheerleader and some dude shredding on an electric guitar. On this particular night, Sleigh Bells were still a work in progress: a mish-mash of programmed beats and girly-girl vocals being mostly drowned out by power-driven guitar riffs. Little did I know, less than a year later Sleigh Bells would sign with N.E.E.T. (the record label run by M.I.A.) and their debut album, Treats, would be nearly inescapable. The record’s excellent chant-along anthems like “Infinity Guitars” and “Tell Em” made a strong case for the band being more than just a flash in the hipster pan. Plus, they looked amazing.-T. Cole Rachel

“Don’t run away,
‘Cause that’s a deal breaker.
You gotta turn around,
Never let your guard down.”
—- Comeback Kid, Sleigh Bells

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