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Press Clippings & High-Resolution Images |
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Archived Racetrack Press |
| The Stranger Seattle, WA July 7, 2004 |
"Racetrack is... busily fulfilling the Bellingham legacy of using sweet pop modes to express powerful human urges. Lest you mistake their smart melodic/poetic sensibility with a failure to rock, however, do yourself a favor and see them live. Frontwoman Meghan Kessinger may be no bigger than a sprite, but she embodies a genuine rock 'n' roll spirit that will eventually destroy worlds. See them now, before you have to pretend you saw them when." SEAN NELSON |
| Pulse (Twin Cities) Minneapolis, MN September 1, 2004 |
"They must put something in the water out in Washington State, how else can one explain the inordinate number of Pacific northwestern rockers who rise to prominence on the national indie scene? Next in line appears to be Bellingham, WA’s Racetrack, a power trio with a pint-sized front lady who manage to make quite a large noise. Their full-length debut, City Lights, boasts the ideal pedigree of the moment the album was recorded and mixed by Death Cab for Cutie’s studio maestro Christopher Walla), and feels like the best album Sarge never got around to making back in their heyday. All buzzing guitars, buoyant rhythms and emotional angst, City Lights is guaranteed to delight the discerning Twin Cities rock connoisseur (they even name check Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Anthony Falls on "Fingertips")." NATHAN DEAN |
| Portland Mercury Portland, OR August 12, 2004 |
"The clock is ticking for Racetrack. When you hear the record they just made with Chris Walla (of Death Cab For Cutie)--on tape (of all things) and in record time--they're going to be your favorite band. Why wait, though, when you can see them rock out live ahead of time? Fans of NW power pop whose indierock melodic strains can't subdue the fury of the driving beat (one could mention Flop without going too far afield, though Superchunk seems to be the operative influence) should flock to this band." SEAN NELSON |
| Inlander Spokane, WA June 16, 2005 |
"The result of the band's eight-day recording odyssey is a sincere 10-track debut full-length album, which neatly captures the group's fresh, upbeat sound." "Long and Rasmussen's rhythm section provide the powerful background beat, which allows Kessinger to bring crunchy, overdriven guitars as a perfect companion to the genuine and sweet vocal crooning exhibited in every song. Overall, the sonic style that comes through is much like a softer version of the Thermals with the female-dominated vocal style of Rilo Kiley." BRIAN EVERTSTINE [Full Text] |
"City Lights" Reviews |
| Neumu Online December 1, 2004 |
"City Lights undeniably captures the same wall-charging fervor that was best heard in a live club, with you right up against the edge of the stage (and with the scree of distortion sounding just as rebellious as it did in decades past)." "Racetrack played out a lot before recording City Lights, and it's all over this record. Wanting to be in your own bed at night. Feeling like just another no one passing through. Even Kerouac scores a line in "Fingertips." Few debuts are this straight-ahead and sincere. Bristling with moments and guitar, Racetrack are slow and then not, with the requisite muscle (and caretaking). You should hear it." JENNIFER PRZYBYLSKI [Full Text] |
| Splendid Online September 17, 2005 |
"City Lights showcases Racetrack's ability to combine blistering rock with superbly written singer/songwriter material; the resulting sound leavens the former and invigorates the latter. Frontwoman Meghan Kessinger deserves much of the credit; her intriguing vocals are equal measures sweet and sardonic. Of course, no three-piece outfit has much room for slackers, and Long's thunderous drumming and bassist Chris Rasmussen's melodic lines add a great deal to the mix." TYSON LYNN [Full Text] |
| 30
Music Online October 19, 2004 |
"So, what the hell makes Racetrack that much smoother than the other indie popsters trying to pull of this style? Well, how ‘bout really good, playful lyrics about long-distance relationships, racing raindrops, and stage settings? ...for the not-so-analytical types, it’s simply just really freaking good." "In the long run, City Lights simply works it out time and time again, proving to be something that needs to be heard. Yes, even if you’re up to your knees in overly crappy indie pop discs, check this out. Hooray for City Lights." KYLE UNDEM [Full Text] |
| Bellingham
Herald Bellingham, WA October 28, 2004 |
"Following two hesitant EPs, the Bellingham trio posits that there ain't no party like an indie-rock party, cuz an indie-rock party don't stop. It's Sleater-Kinney's "All Hands on the Bad One" with memorable hooks. It's every Superchunk record without the slow parts. It's a string tied to your fist and pumping it in the air for 37 minutes." "And it's likely the best pop-chorus/furious-guitar CD this town has produced, as Racetrack has mastered the art of anthem-writing." TONY STASIEK [Full Text] |
| The
Stranger Seattle, WA May 26, 2005 |
"It's so nice to discover that the catchy little Superchunky pop-punk record you liked so much when it came out has not only hung around the top of your CD stack, but revealed layer after layer of emotional depth in the seemingly simple constructions. I heard the title song, "City Lights," on a particularly fraught afternoon recently and had to wipe away tears. Maybe that's just my own fragile psyche talking, but I'm starting to think of Racetrack as the best band of its kind in the whole world." SEAN NELSON |
| Additional Reviews | 3hive 75 or Less Arriviste Press Bellingham Weekly Boulder Weekly Columbia Tunes Daily Aztec (San Diego) IMPACT Press Indie Pages Lost at Sea Movement Magazine Mira El Péndulo Missoula Independent Performer The PhiLL(er) Skatterbrain |
| Other Articles, etc. | The Stranger (Underage) What's Up! Magazine (10/04) Western Front |
Misc. |
| Bellingham
Weekly Bellingham, WA September 2003 |
"Falling somewhere between that cutesy, indie pop vein...and dirty Northwest nineties pop-punk, Racetrack are the sweat that tastes so sweet. The songs are fast and hard and delivered with little to no pause between them. Combined with a strong, melodic pop sensibility, this is a recipe for day-after neck aches. It is not often that I claim a band is ready and able to find a larger audience base outside of their friends and local fanbases, but in all their “power pop” glory, Racetrack is." MATT FULLER |
| Seattle Weekly Seattle, WA December 2003 |
[SW PICK] "The Bellingham threesome known as Racetrack puts the "pop" into pop-rock while rocking at the same time. One moment they are adorably adorable, and then the next moment the feedback and drum attack strikes." |
| Missoulian Missoula, MT March 18, 2004 |
"Racetrack fits somewhere on the narrow continuum between the Breeders and Liz Phair (if not quite as polished as either)...The music is fun, bouncy, noisy, a bit out of control." JOE NICKELL |
| What's
Up Magazine Bellingham, WA December 2003 |
"What began a few years back as a recording project...has now blossomed into one of Bellingham's brightest and most promising bands. While they still may be categorized as an indie/garage band, their live shows have taken on a much harder and noisier edge often fed by a wall of feedback, and pounding bass lines. Vocals are an amazing part of this band, and I can't emphasize their greatness enough. Kessinger has a vocal range that can warm your heart one minute, then let it all loose with a scream." JOEL/BRUCE MYRENE |
