Des Moines indie rockers Lady Revel began as a passion project between roommates Jasey Rebarcak and Sara Wodka in 2018. The band has since expanded to include Lucas Menke on guitar, Chase Abner on bass and Cam Schneider on drums. This Friday, May 30, Lady Revel is playing a concert at xBk Live in Des Moines to celebrate the release of their second studio album, Slow Burn.
Slow Burn is predominantly a sapphic love record that embodies the substantial life changes Wodka and the newly-married Rebarcak have undergone in the past few years.
“In the last couple years, I came out and I left a job at a church I was working at. Sara can speak to some of this too, because she was also in that world and left that world,” Rebarcak said. “This is kind of the first time we actually bring that into the songwriting of just, I don't know, what it's like to leave one world for another, and it's kind of scary. There's more of, like, a serious tone to some of our songs in that regard.”
“One of the lyrics is, ‘Am I wrong to leave it all behind?’” Wodka added. “So, I feel like, for both of us, we have had our own journeys of adulthood and becoming ourselves and like, living our authentic lives.”
For the first time, Lady Revel conceptualized Slow Burn together as a complete band, rather than the duo it once was. They also worked extensively with esteemed local musician and producer Scott Yoshimura on the record.
“[Yoshimura] did exactly what we asked him to and gave our music more character, and just little minor touches and things. He spent countless hours with us, you know, but it was super fun,” Rebarcak said. “For the first time this was a trust the process kind of thing. We recorded the band live all together at the same time: drums, bass, guitars. That was new for me. That was like, ‘Oh, that's scary,’ because you're kind of giving up control. I think it comes across in the songs that there's more ... cohesion and energy and these little moments that are, I think, great.”
Rebarcak said to expect a surprise at Friday night’s show, possibly including a member of opener Munk Rivers, during their performance of “Millennial Dirtbag.” Both Rebarcak and Wodka agreed that “Millennial Dirtbag” is the song they’re most excited to play live for the xBk audience, and the track is also the only Slow Burn song with a music video so far.
The “Millennial Dirtbag” music video relates directly to people who grew up in the 2000s, from gameplay footage of 3D Pinball: Space Cadet to its portrayal of smartphone-centered life today. The video was written and directed by Des Moines local Wesley Rebaracak, Jasey’s brother.
“It's a tale as old as time: I got ghosted by someone who I was interested in from a dating app,” Rebarcak explained. “It's something that’s kind of crazy. It's happened to all of us, really ... it's just something that I found inspiration from. The endless heartbreak of being ghosted and some funny quirks about millennials, but my brother Wes really brought the song to life. The music video’s just hilarious and super fun.”
Seven years into the Lady Revel journey, Wodka and Rebarcak feel that Slow Burn really marks the band hitting its stride. With multiple 80/35 performances under their belt, as well as many other appearances and digital releases (like their Taylor Swift short film), this new album proves Lady Revel has taken the curveballs of life and turned them into brilliant indie rock music.
“We've evolved so much as people, but I feel like we've evolved into a musical style that we both really feel comfortable in now. Like most bands, we’ve been through a lot of different iterations,” Wodka said. “Like Jasey was saying, we feel like an actual band, because, you know, we're on the same wavelength. We're really locked in.”
Friday’s Slow Burn album release show will undoubtedly feature Lady Revel at their best yet. Tickets are available now on the xBk website.
