Robber Robber – Talkback
Today, Robber Robber — the undefinable Burlington, Vermont quartet of Nina Cates, Zack James, Will Krulak, and Carney Hemler — announce their signing to Fire Talk Records, and unveil their new single/video, “Talkback.”
Robber Robber unleashed a quiet storm with their 2024 debut Wild Guess, an inscrutable collection of late-night recollections filtered through a mercurial indie rock kaleidoscope. Surrounding its release, Robber Robber were anointed as one of the year’s Best New Artists by Stereogum, with Wild Guess receiving year-end acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, Paste, Seven Days, Post-Trash and more. Alongside a digital reissue and physical retail release of Wild Guess slated for January, Robber Robber return to unveil their first new music since its release.
“Talkback” snaps into existence with James’ masterfully incisive percussion and Cates’ mesmerizing scribbles. “Oops – I thought you wouldn’t see this,” she intones atop the scorching guitars and relentless bass, emphasizing each and every jagged syllable. “Talkback” is accompanied by a music video helmed by the band themselves, with James and Cates co-directing and Krulak assisting Cates on editing duties. Collaging infrared nightcam footage of the band performing “Talkback” live in their Vermont rehearsal space, hand-drawn animations overlay to complete Robber Robber’s singular vision.
Robber Robber’s debut album, Wild Guess, feels more like an exercise in tension and release than an indie record. For all its nods to its post-punk predecessors and the eclectic Burlington music scene that fed into it, the album feels more like an attempt to translate imagery into sound, communicating all the shades of light and dark you could visualize — and it’s better for that reason. Everything is driven by sheer curiosity and loose creative parameters the band says. It’s a chaos that’s evident in what they create; and in even their most polarizing musical moments, you get the sense that these are gut reactions being expressed, that truth is the grist of the overflow.
Surrounding the release of Wild Guess, Robber Robber received a wealth of praise. “This band is doing the Lord’s work,” hailed Bandcamp, as countless compliments for the band’s “unpredictable” (The FADER) sound avalanched. Hometown publications from the eclectic hotbed of Burlington heralded Robber Robber as “as summation of the current scene” (Seven Days), and soon after word spread. Robber Robber embarked on headline tour, and were subsequently tapped to join noise giants Julie across a string of European shows. Earlier this year, Robber Robber tapped into their vast network of sonic experimentalists to help craft Wild Guest, an extended-play collecting remixes from This is Lorelei, GIFT, Club Casualties and other appreciators of Robber Robber.
Be on the lookout for more from Robber Robber in the coming months.
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