Los Angeles – With EarthEE, their second full-length release on Sub Pop Records, the ladies of THEESatisfaction have expanded and improved upon the spacey and socially conscious style of R&B that was heard on their debut.  Formed in 2008, rapper Stasia “Stas” Irons and singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White met while attending college at the University of Washington in Seattle.  Just released, EarthEE further establishes THEESatisfaction as a very separate entity from their collaborators and label mates Shabazz Palaces, the experimental hip-hop group that aided in getting the group signed to Sub Pop.

While both EarthEE and its predecessor AweNaturale consist of 13 tracks, the former is nearly 15 minutes longer.  There were plenty of ideas on Stas’ and Cat’s Sub Pop debut, but it seemed that these thoughts were rarely developed into fully formed “songs.”  As a result, that album listened more as a frenetic burst of ideas, and less like one cohesive piece.  With more resources at their disposal and gained experience, THEESatisfaction have crafted a well thought out album that avoids this problem that held AweNaturale back.

But for the first two tracks on EarthEE, “Prophetic Perfection” and “No GMO,” it sounds like THEESatisfaction intend to continue down that stream of consciousness guided path.  Both of these songs fall short of the two-minute mark, starting the album off on a quick pace.  Though they feature lush instrumentals, smart turns of phrase and powerful vocal hooks, the two songs fade out before their full impact can be made – in other words, “Prophetic Perfection” and “No GMO” are great songs, they just probably could have been a little longer and more fully realized.

However, by the time EarthEE moves on to its third and fourth tracks, “Planet for Sale” and “Blandland,” it is clear that Stas and Cat have grown as songwriters.  These two tracks show that THEESatisfaction are starting to realize the potential heard on the skewed but highly listenable tracks of their debut.  “Blandland” switches between excellent turns of phrase during the verses from Stas and Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler, and kicks off with a laid-back, down-tempo beat that harkens back to the halcyon days of early jazz-inspired hip-hop.  In fact, while on some of the songs the instrumental work stands out more than others, (“Blandland,” “WerQ,” “Universal Perspective”) there is not a single weak backing track on the album – reminiscent of the incredible track-by-track production on albums like Curren$y’s Pilot Talk.

The production on EarthEE is so solid that these songs would be captivating even as instrumental tracks.  Luckily, the vocals only complement the backing tracks.  Touching on themes from the appropriation of culture to the interconnectivity of the universe, the lyricism on EarthEE is better than the vast majority of hip-hop records.  But unlike some solid lyricists who take over their albums with smart but at times distracting singing and rapping, here the vocals simply work in harmony with the various background elements.

The first single from EarthEE is “Recognition,” a fairly stripped-down track that begins with a chanted verse before slowing to a half-time pacing as the drum, bass and a killer (and quite unexpected) synthesizer line enters the speakers.  While in some ways this song feels like the short bursts of ideas heard on the first two tracks, the disparate parts of “Recognition” work so well together that it is just as effective and captivating as the longer, more traditionally structured songs on the record.

THEESatisfaction have a very busy 2015 ahead of them – after album release shows in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, they will head to SXSW from March 19-22.  After a show in Chicago, they hit the road in support of the legendary Sleater Kinney, a tour that will undoubtedly do a lot for the group’s already rising profile.

Check the THEESatisfaction website for tickets and information on tour dates.

Photos of THEESatisfaction by King Texas

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Matt Matasci

Perhaps it was years of listening to the eclectic and eccentric programming of KPIG-FM with his dad while growing up on the Central Coast of California, but Matt Matasci has always rebuffed mainstream music while seeking unique and under-the-radar artists.Like so many other Californian teenagers in the 90s and 00s, he first started exploring the alternative music world through Fat Wreck Chords skate-punk.This simplistic preference eventually matured into a more diverse range of tastes - from the spastic SST punk of Minutemen to the somber folk-tales of Damien Jurado, and even pulverizing hardcore from bands like Converge.He graduated from California Lutheran University with a BA in journalism.Matt enjoys spending his free time getting angry at the Carolina Panthers, digging through the dollar bin at Amoeba, and taking his baby daughter to see the Allah-Lahs at the Santa Monica Pier.

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