Tell 'Em
| "Tell 'Em" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Sleigh Bells | ||||
| from the album Treats | ||||
| Released | April 28, 2010 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl, CD single, digital download | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Writer(s) | Derek E. Miller | |||
| Producer(s) | Derek E. Miller | |||
| Sleigh Bells singles chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone |   |
"Tell 'Em" is a song by American music duo Sleigh Bells from their debut album Treats. Written by Miller and sung by Alexis Krauss, the song is the album's opening track, and was released as its lead single.
Prior to the album's release, the track was available as a free download on April 28, 2010 via the Mom + Pop website. It was well received by critics, and frequently noted as a highlight of the album. The song was released to U.S. radio stations on April 28, 2010, but it failed to enter any charts.
In an interview with Drowned in Sound, Krauss referred to the song among others as "more collaborative in terms of me doing more work on melodies, harmonies and we plan on further explorations of this in the future." Miller, when asked about the duo's loud sound, referenced the song, stating, "It has this intense melody on it. I was afraid to do it for so long because I had abandoned heavy drone for a few years. But it was just there, always in the background and I was just craving it."
Miller described the song as being "preach-y without being righteous. It's like we're disappointed but optimistic." The song's lyrics detail a disappointment in today's youths and an encouragement for teens to strive to be better, and it was one of the last to be recorded for the album.
"Tell 'Em" is a song composed of an intro, which has been described as a mixture of "piledriving beats" and a "towering riff trigger", "bazooka beats and syncopated snaps" incorporated with "heavy metal guitar riffs", and a chorus featuring Krauss' vocals over "machine-gun drums". The song also incorporates various snaps and claps.
Since its release, the song has been hailed by music critics for its intense sound, with one noting its similarity to the songs of electronic singer M.I.A. Lisa Wright, a writer from NME, lauded the song, declaring "not since Miss Arulpragasam herself has there been a track that makes violence sound so goddamn danceable." Zach Baron of Village Voice praised the song's production, comparing it to "winning a video game shootout inside of a disco that's on neon fire." Michael Saba of Paste also wrote highly of the song, calling it "a beast of a track—three minutes of the crunchy, glitched-out riffs and titanic hooks".PopMatters' editor Arnold Pan, like other critics, commented on the song's intensity, writing, "You’ll probably be too shellshocked by the anxiety-inducing and heart-palpitating thrills of the leadoff track 'Tell ‘Em' to do anything else but take it all in, even if your eardrums tell you to turn off the racket."
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Wikipedia