With her latest LP, Bite Down, Rosali Middleman has proven once more to be one of our era’s sharpest singer-songwriters.

Recorded once again with the great Mowed Sound (David Nance on bass, Kevin Donahue on drums, and James Schroeder on guitar, along with Destroyer’s Ted Bois on keyboards) as her backing band, Middleman effortlessly combined attractive melodies and pop hooks with a raw, grungy atmosphere that together drive home the record’s melancholic vibe.

The mood of the album is very much between extremes of emotions, as Middleman meditates on the highs and lows of love, longing and healing. At times, even when the lyrics hint towards feelings of trepidation and the scars of heartbreak, the music features a tone that glows with hope and pride. With snappy upbeat rhythms and sunny harmonies, it often sounds as though Middelman is channeling a bright inner light from deep within herself. On songs like “On Tonight”, or the rollicking Crazy Horse-like “My Kind,” she radiates a great deal of heart and a relieving comfort in her own skin. You get the sense that she is celebrating a restored life that is blossoming into full bloom. It’s damn near impossible to play this album and to not feel a similar wave of warmth yourself.

Rich with compassion, inner-strength and killer riffs, Bite Down is a record that the world will be discussing for many, many years to come. Get your copy from Merge today.

-KH