Artist:     Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Album:     Tearing at the Seams

Label:     Stax Records

Release Date:     03.09.2018

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On its second full-length release, soul rock combo Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats crafts a mature follow-up to a successful debut. Where the band’s self-titled record introduced audiences to Rateliff and company’s charged belting and revivalist chops, this sophomore album veers far enough from such a tried-and-true approach to merit repeated spins.

For starters, Tearing at the Seams is the first Night Sweats’ record to be written with input from the whole band, not just Rateliff himself. The formerly folk-leaning frontman still wrote all of the lyrics for the album, lending most numbers a confessional air, but several tracks were co-written with fellow group members, including first single “You Worry Me,” with a co-writing credit for guitarist Luke Mossman.

That song, featuring plaintive piano underscoring a rousing chorus, allows Rateliff to declare his desire to “leave it all out there to dry.” Despite being slotted near the end of the album, it’s a fine introduction to the restless creative spirit that permeates elsewhere.

“Hey Mama” is a down-tempo highlight. The cut unfolds around an acoustic guitar riff and melody that Rateliff originally deemed not up to scratch. However, after repeated instances of band members walking around singing the melody, the singer relented and deemed that “it must be okay.”

Another song with a conflicted recording history, “Intro,” kicks off the album’s second half in style. Sounding like a revving engine that rockets into orbit with a signature Rateliff scream and evil laugh, the jam gels into a complete rave-up with stabbing horns, organ blasts, and a party-starting beat. Not much imagination is needed to see the track as a live favorite that could open a show or encore with equal aplomb.

Live, in fact, is where Tearing at the Seams might shine best. Producer Richard Swift often kept recording the band as it tried out different takes and song fragments, leading to an overall loose feel reminiscent of the group’s concerts. Still, it’s the never-ending drive against becoming complacent that most clearly marks Seams as an early 2018 favorite.

Though it lacks a tune as radio-ready or eye-catching as 2015’s “S.O.B.,” the true heart of the album might be best found in its title closing track. Atop a classic slab of bedrock soul, Rateliff answers the call of time, which grabs greedily at “all that’s been.” Defiant, he yells over and over that he’ll have to be dragged away. As the sound of his band rises higher and higher to meet the challenge, the whole experience becomes more and more moving. This is the example of an artist in it for the long haul. Future albums might struggle under the weight of these lofty expectations, but any shortcomings they might have will not be due to the lack of a strong foundation.

—Michael Cimaomo