On their fourth LP Revelations, River Shook (recording as Sarah Shook) has shown an evolution that has been hinted at ever since the artistic leap from the 2015 debut Sidelong to 2018’s fantastic Years. On Revelations, their first self-produced record, there is a confidence in the writing and playing that only comes from grinding it out on DIY tours for years on end.
While Shook has never shied away from tapping into the personal, there are songs here that certainly feel like reading someone’s journal. But there is also an accessibility to the themes here that will resonate with many as they tuck into topics about dealing with mental health issues, struggling with substance abuse, celebrating love, and fleeing from toxic ex-lovers. Through it all, Shook and their band distill a punk rock attitude and ethos through a heavy country/Americana filter. The title track that opens the record, a song about dealing with mental health under the confines of capitalism, is truly Clash-worthy songwriting. It rolls nicely into the beautiful fuck you of “You Don’t Get To Tell Me” and “Motherfucker,” another perfectly phrased kiss-off to an ex (“When I die and split hell wide gonna be some sight to see/And I’ll gladly burn forever knowin’ you’re stories deeper than me” is quite possibly the most satisfyingly verbal middle finger to a former lover that has ever been committed to song).
“A lot of artists are in this industry for fame, recognition, and money but those things don’t mean anything to me. Songwriting is it for me. It’s the only real healthy coping mechanism I’ve ever had. It’s life-saving, and all of my writing is autobiographical,” said Shook recently. And they clearly left little out of their diary in making Revelations. And rather than propelling, the sheer honesty and turn of phrase in these songs keeps the listener around to the very end.
Musically, songs like the rollicking “Dogbane” and the classic country vibe of “Stone Door,” find the Disarmers at their most adventurous taking risks that manage to pay off just about every time here. Revelations finds Shook and their band at their best across all 10 tracks.
