Miranda and the Beat tackle frustrations with electric ferocity on crackling 'Can't Take It'

Miranda and the Beat further cements their status as rising stars of the alternative underground with the band’s sophomore LP, Can’t Take It, a blistering collection of scalding rippers and introspective arrangements that explodes like a supernova and folds in upon itself into an bottomless well of inescapable gravity. Tackling headlong the pressures of modern living, Can’t Take It presents a thrilling window into a multifaceted psyche imbued with the strength to overcome the unrelenting onslaught of external forces and anxious internal conflict.
Can’t Take It represents an expansion for the band, moving beyond the smoky rock n soul that defined their debut LP into a grittier, more angular spectrum that draws on elements of 1970s punk and new wave to inject a a fresh sense of dangerous electricity that amplifies the album’s frustrated energy and stubborn resilience. There’s still plenty of references to psychedelic garage rock and Motown cool, but the expanded palette allows Miranda and the Beat to more completely address complex concepts from a wider array of perspectives with more nuanced methods of expression.
Right out of the gate the title track kicks the album into high gear, defining the overall thesis with a rolling accumulation of mechanical rhythms and twitchy keys layered over a bassline that churns like slowly rising floodwaters as frontwoman Miranda Zipse spells out a litany of compounding frustrations and unleashes an acerbic “I can’t take anymore!” with a snarling intensity.
The high-tension dynamism continues in the jittery “Earthquake Water” and the appropriately titled “Anxiety,” bouncing with nervous insistence that balances precipitously on the edge of sanity, clinging to the rapidly unraveling threads of rational thought but refusing to surrender to the overwhelming blitzkrieg of chaos encroaching from all sides. “Earthquake Water” and “Anxiety” are arrayed in sequence on the A-side, and Miranda and the Beat revisit the general temperament on the similarly paired “New York Video” and “Manipulate Me” on the B-side. The tracks flow seamlessly into one another, channeling ticking time bomb energy into a heated diatribe that stands defiantly in the face of a disembodied chorus of voices that tug and pull with jealous intent. Responding in kind with a series of verses unleashed in a vicious, almost-rapped cadence, Zipse fires back with machine gun ferocity, leveling any opposition in a hail of aggressively confident bravado.
Can’t Take It isn’t entirely a full-bore blast of anxious expression, the band takes plenty of time to slow things down and explore more the introspective aspects of the album’s overarching themes which showcases Miranda and the Beat’s ability to effectively convey the multitude of emotional facets that coexist within the primary context.
“I Tried” brings down the tempo down into a simmering slow burner with a thick bassline that bubbles up with affective resonance on the hook, accented with a mini-riff touched with the perfect amount of reverb. Leaning into the darker shades of anxiety induced paranoia, “These Days” is dominated by echoing rhythms and moody keys that stretch like shadows under flickering streetlights accumulating into a palpable sense of creeping dread as Zipse repeats “I am too afraid to go to sleep these days” in low tones over detached samples and horror-show guitar lines. Album closer “The Secrets” operates in a similar fashion, busting with widescreen ambitions and massive instrumentals that tap into the album’s darker side as the band embraces the black, willfully submersing within the unfathomable terror that rushes in to fill the vacuum of surrendered sanity to becoming one with the faceless void.
Balancing the overall heft of Can’t Take It with moments of levity peppered across the track list, Miranda and the Beat flex their muscles in different directions at key moments, enhancing the overall flow with slight deviations that still tap into the overall themes. “El Lobo Negro” goes full on spaghetti western with mountains of delicious south-of-the-border reverb and Latin-flavored keys driving an mostly instrumental jam session punctuated with shout-along gang vocals and a psychedelic attitude. The band takes a dip into more traditional rock n roll with the jangly power-pop “Up In Smoke,” and returns to the acoustic intimacy of their earliest recordings on “The Last Time,” a heartbroken ballad that showcases the depth and immediacy of Zipse’s songwriting.
Stream Can’t Take It on Spotify and get the album on limited vinyl via Bandcamp. Follow Miranda and the Beat on Instagram.
Upcoming Shows
OCT 29 - Santos Bar - New Orleans, LA - TICKETS