It’s total coincidence that The Slits release their first album since 1981 the same month that Island mark 30 years since their milestone Cut debut with a Deluxe edition. Trapped Animal resounds with the riotous spirit which made the first album’s impact seismic enough to revolutionise female roles in music and later inspire the Riot Girl movement. With original bassist Tessa Pollitt joined by Sex Pistol Paul Cook’s daughter Hollie on keyboards, drummer Anna Schulze and guitarist Adele Wilson, The Slits zip through a gamut of musical styles from ‘Reject”s full-pelt Slits-punk to ‘Babylon”s conscious reggae, given extra depth by Adrian Sherwood’s dynamic mixology. They still sound utterly relevant, marrying global dance rhythms with hard-to-shake hooks, while the vividly personal or socially-barbed lyrics add provocative bite. With 30 years’ more experience, subjects now encompass child abuse [‘Issues’], survival [‘Pay Rent’], dancehall sex [‘Lazy Slam’] and family issues [‘Ask Ma’].
The Deluxe Cut adds volcanic Peel sessions, demos, rough mixes and 12-inch dubs, showing that Dennis Bovell’s production might have given The Slits raw cartwheeling a more-accessible brush-up but the unique delivery and song structures were already fully-formed. It’s a joy to see the album’s full back-story finally available and an even bigger one to have The Slits back on such brilliant, applecart-upsetting form.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
