The Stray Cats return to the studio with 40, their first collection of new material in twenty-six years, and scarcely a second of it suggests that rockabilly ever progressed beyond 1960. That is less a criticism than a description of the band's entire aesthetic: stripped-down rhythm section, twanging Gretsch guitar, slap bass, vintage clothes and songs about the same cars, women and trouble that have always populated this music.
The performances are the principal attraction. Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom still provide the lean swing that keeps the songs moving, while Brian Setzer's guitar playing has become even more assured after decades leading his orchestra. His solos are technically formidable without losing the snap and economy rockabilly requires, and his voice has gained a rougher authority with age.
The writing is less consistent. "Cat Fight (Over a Dog Like Me)" opens the album at full speed and establishes a level of excitement the rest of the record rarely matches. "Cry Danger" comes closest, pushing the trio toward a heavier guitar sound, but too much of 40 settles for competent variations on patterns the band mastered decades ago.
At thirty-five minutes, however, the record is brief enough that familiarity never becomes exhausting. The humour is intact, the rhythm section still swings and Setzer continues to find new phrases inside an old language. None of these songs is likely to displace "Rock This Town" or "(She's) Sexy + 17", but that is an unreasonable burden to place on a reunion record.
The value of 40 is simpler: the original trio still sounds unmistakably like itself, and its chemistry has survived a generation-long gap between studio albums. The songs may belong to a familiar template, but the three people playing them still know exactly where the swing sits.
GENRE: Rock n' Roll
RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2019
PRODUCED BY: Peter Collins
LABEL: Surfdog Records
RATING: 6/10