In their ‘Inevitable’ debut long-player London trio Ravioli Me Away have effortlessly hit the sweet spot where rhythmic know-how, irreverent delivery and unrestrained imagination converge into a sprightly mulch of irresistible body-moving songs that stylistically stitch together both the minimalist post-punk and overtly pop sounds of the early 80s with scraps of new wave mutant disco and synthesiser music.
The palette is a sparse one that echoes the reductive aesthetic of bands like Young Marble Giants or Delta 5 in that every component of the sound - the strident, upfront ESG-funk of the bass, the tribalistic clattering of the pared-down drum set and the crystal clear twinklings of the keyboard - is clearly defined, hanging in its own isolated space. The three-part vocals work in perfect counterpoint to one another - Sian Dorrer flitting between snappy Bethan Peters shout-outs and full-lunged Siouxsie-style bellow, Rosie Ridgeway’s drawn-out almost indecipherable chatter and Alice Theobald’s dry, frequently hilarious spoken word.
The thing that seals the deal with RMA is the ever-present humour at the root of subject matter that certainly doesn’t lack substance. Interpretations of feminist politics, infatuation, casual misogyny, professional aspirations, female biology, unrequited love, the economy under David Cameron (who unknowingly makes a cameo at the beginning of the supernatural narrative of ‘Imagination’) are subjects all smartly dealt with in neat, song-sized appraisals with an endlessly quotable stream of lyrics. “Do you remember Faithless at Creamfields ’98? You tore off my tights with your teeth in your Volvo estate” goes the faux-nostalgic reminiscing of ‘Romantic Amnesia’, “You’ve got a small head but it’s right on your body” is one of the many flawed compliments in ‘Hit By Love’, and the unexpected “Can I get an XY/Can I get a Y” call-and-response of ‘Estrogen’ is just the tip of it.
For those of you looking for something new to slide in next to your Bush Tetras, Beards, Raincoats and Cleckhuddersfax records: permit yourself to be Raviolied Away. (Review courtesy of Norman Records)
