illuminati hotties - Let Me Do One More
Indie Rock – Released October 1, 2021 – 12 songs, 41 mins
LUNDI
On October 1st as the opening notes of Pool Hopping played over my Bluetooth speaker TSR group was immediately notified of an incredible new punk rock band on the scene. Four months later after many personal hints and persuasion the crew are here to pump out their thoughts on illuminati hotties breakout album Let Me Do One More.
Let Me Do One More is an album that almost never was. Or at least very unlikely in this form. Sarah Tudzin, lead singer and audio engineer of IH, refused to release her tireless years of work on their crumbling record label so she wrote a tongue in cheek 12 song mixtape in 3 weeks titled Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For to fulfill their contractual obligations. A little over a year later Tudzin had her own record label and finally let the world hear her personal masterpiece.
Let Me Do One More is seduction in the form of music. Tudzin crafts a witty joyride of punk rock and leaves you swooning with her vocals. The accents and changes in pitch and tempo create a roller coaster album that leaves you wanting more. It rewards you with each listen and begs you to repeat every damn time.
Tudzin isn’t just that seductive front woman either. She triples down as producer, audio engineer, and composer on the album. In an industry where so many females are trapped beneath the glass ceiling, Tudzin broke through with authority and announced her presence as a force to reckon with. She is here to stay and she is doing it her way.
The compilation of tracks itself is emotional and leaves the listener unsure of whether they’re supposed to dance or scream. Maybe it’s both. It hits you with a 1-2 bang out of the gates with Pool Hopping and MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA which are both 2021 song if they year contenders. The album pace slows and loses some momentum in the middle (see next paraphrase) but damn if Joni: LA’s No. 1 Health Goth and Cheap Shoes don’t put the emphatic stamp of approval on the album. Closing song Growth shows Tudzin’s soft side and canny ability to write the direct song as it hits some tough notes on adulthood.
Here’s the burning question though. Who let Buck Meek ruin this album? That minute and 30 seconds on u v v p grinds the album to a halt. It’s baffling how it’s included. Smack dab in the middle and that’s the musical direction they go with? Ooooof.
Alas this album is much much more good than bad and I’m stoked for whatever comes next.
Seduction and wit. A 2021 album of the year contender if not for one complete misstep. Give Sarah Tudzin your attention now because she’s not going anywhere. POOL HOPPING!
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Song: Pool Hopping
REID
Next up we have Let Me Do One More from illuminati hotties. This band from beautiful Los Angeles, California, is a rock quartet but let’s be honest, it’s all about Sarah Tudzin. She’s the creator, producer, mixer, audio engineer and voice behind the band. Super impressive. After a fall out with their previous label, Tudzin created imprint label Snack Shack Tracks for this album. Well knick knack paddy wack let’s give the album a score.
Since TSR had a sneak peak into Lundi’s love for this album on the year in review podcast, I felt like mixing things up by commenting on what I know and making a prediction. After a deep dive into the album, I’m not at all surprised of his enjoyment. It’s unmistakably his style. Pool Hopping is an absolute feel-good track as he explained in naming it his second favourite song of 2021. It sends me back to the late 90’s, early 00’s years of teenage party movies; the American Pie(s), Eurotrip and Van Wilder to name a few. My gut tells me Lundi gives Let Me Do One More a rating in the mid-eights and Roz’s will be close to mine. The anticipation!
Whenever a new band is on the docket, it’s always interesting to see how the internet describes their style of music. There are endless descriptors these days. The self-proclaimed genre for illuminati hotties is spot on - tenderpunk. I’m going to separate the tracklist in two self-explained categories – in column tender we have Threatening Each Other re: Capitalism, u v v p, The Sway, Protector and Growth. These songs are largely chill with softer guitars and much smoother vocals with thoughtful lyrics. Growth cuts deep on the realities of growing up and handling loss. Threatening’s clever line of ‘The corner store is selling spit. Bottled up for Profit. I can’t believe I’m buying in. Isn’t that genius?’ is a thoughtful way of portraying capitalism. In column punk there’s Pool Hopping, MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA, Joni: LA’S No.1 Health Goth and Cheap Shoes where things are much looser and fun all around. Two songs didn’t get categorized; Toasting and Knead. The former is only 37 seconds in length, so it didn’t qualify but I really wish they had to keep going with it because it sounds great. The latter is a very nice mix of tenderpunk and my favourite of the lot.
Some artists are better off choosing a lane and staying in it but illuminati hotties do well in effectively mixing things up. Sarah Tudzin and co. show their versatility on Let Me Do One More.
Overall Rating: 7.8/10
Favourite Song: Knead
ROZ
POOL HOPPIN’! Two words that have sprung up in not only my iMessage group chat with the TSR crew but also in Part 2 of our Too Sweet Reviews Podcast (which I must add is out now on major streaming platforms and you should totally listen if you haven’t yet). illuminati hotties, California-based indie rock project led by multi-talented producer/mixer/audio engineer Sarah Tudzin, is a band that has been generating a large amount of TSR buzz all the way back since this album came out back in October. Without further ado, let’s pool hop right into Let Me Do One More.
This album has one defining feature - the lyrics make no damn sense at all. Hey [you a] gremlin power box…You take in a beat while you scour the slots…Licking the edge of a cupcake…You point to my neck and I point to your plate. WHAT. The corner store is selling spit…Bottled up for profit…I can’t believe I'm buying in…Isn't that genius? No and these lyrics aren’t either. But hey, since when did lyrics really matter? Time and time again bands have created great songs that make no damn sense either. Regardless, the songwriting on this album was foolish and I found myself being unable to let go of this fact.
Luckily, the vocal performances were great and the production value was very high, reflecting the skills that Sara Tudzin has within her respective trades. Pool Hopping stole the show with its killer arrangement and absolute earworm of a chorus. Kickflip was a close second on my list as it exhibited the most unique sonic qualities of the bunch, and slower songs Protector and Growth really displayed the beauty in Sara’s voice (Growth actually went against my issues with the writing as it touched on deep and meaningful topics). Lowlights included MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA (as painful to type as it was to listen through) and Knead, along with the fact that Toasting took the role of an interlude rather than being fleshed out into a full song. Too bad.
Sara Tudzin is undoubtedly a talented individual, and her production credits as a recording engineer display that in full even before taking into account this project she has undertaken. The rest of the band is no different, as each member plays their part in creating a cohesive and energetic rock sound. With that being said, Let Me Do One More has a definite weakness: the songwriting. If I had to pick a rock album that channeled the energy of I Am The Walrus, this would be the one. What’s the motif? What is this band trying to say? The hell if I know - but maybe that’s just the way it’s meant to be.
Overall Rating: 7.2/10
Favourite Song: Pool Hopping