On 'If I don't make it, I love u,' Still House Plants Make Rock Music Without Limitation

Still House Plants' third LP If I don't make it, I love u is an engrossing testament to the musical elasticity and emotional potency of rock music. The UK-based trio — David Kennedy on drums, Jessica Hickie-Kallenbach on vocals and Finlay Clark on guitar — has both retained much of the aesthetic vocabulary of their previous work and emboldened each other to use that vocabulary in ways more fully in service to their beguiling musical chemistry.

The austere instrumental toolkit of their 2018 debut Long Play is still present, with the band continuing to build their songs out of relatively few layers. The cut-and-paste studio playfulness of Fast Edit also persists, as the trio further hones what bold production choices sound like for songs that are as much about slowly peeling things away as they are about expansion. What's new on If I don't make it, I love u is ultimately in the attitude. Like on previous offerings, these songs still wildly vacillate in dynamics, tempo, intensity and structural cohesion, but there's an unmistakable directness and confidence to this collection that hints at musical sensibilities far removed from the avant-garde.    

The drums on album opener "M M M" immediately provide a perfect example of the newfound bombast in Kennedy's playing. He hasn't sacrificed the odd phrasing, unorthodox snare placements and rhythmic looseness that made the drumming on previous records so captivating, instead strengthening his presence via a heightened respect for the consistency and power of the drum beat. Similarly, Clark has leaned more than ever into the expressive potential of the guitar hook. The linchpin of album standout "Headlight" is Clark's dexterous, groovy riff, a motif bookended by palm muting reminiscent of grunge or even nu-metal.

Hickie-Kallenbach's vocals are equally exceptional in their aesthetic range. Still House Plants are not new to playing rock inflected with jazz, R&B and electronic elements. The beauty of Hickie-Kallenbach's performances is in how they pay due respect to the various influences the band is pulling from without sacrificing idiosyncrasy. "Sticky" stands out in this capacity as the track that best synthesizes the band's interest in recontextualizing sampling approaches in UK garage, highlighted by the relentless and weighty effect of Hickie-Kallenbach's repeating single word refrains.

Balancing structural adventurousness with emotive impact is no easy feat. Compared to the immediacy of pop music, some forms of experimental songwriting might be accused of timidity or guardedness. Intellectualizing creation yields rewards, but it can just as easily obfuscate meaning and steer one away from impactful modes of expression whose delivery hinges on forthrightness. The glowering strength of If I don't make it, I love u is in its commitment to both sides of the coin, an album both experimental and laid fully bare — The result is one of the best rock records of the year.