Treats

Treats is the debut studio album by American noise pop duo Sleigh Bells, released jointly on May 11, 2010 by Mom + Pop Music and N.E.E.T. Recordings. Derek E. Miller’s rough demos gained the attention of Spike Jonze and M.I.A… Miller stated that the ensuing positive feedback and his “dream collaboration” working with M.I.A. in her studio on the album Maya (2010) gave him the confidence to do the Treats record without opting for a co-producer. Miller worked with M.I.A. on the track “Meds and Feds” in 2009, following which she signed the group to her label N. E.E.T. Alexis Kraus said of M.I.A.: “It’s really exciting to have her in our court and be able to work with her. At this point it’s more about being part of a creative community and the day-to-day running of the business is pretty much Mom + Pop’s job. It’s the fact that she had interest in us literally before anyone else cared at all which definitely boosted our confidence.” The track “Treats” contains an interpolation of the song “Meds and Feds”.

Vocalist Alexis Krauss spoke of her enjoyment at the collaborative nature of the album making process with Miller, telling Drowned in Sound: “When we got into the studio we began collaborating more. There’s a few tracks on the album - “Tell Em”, “Riot Rhythms”, “Run the Heart” – which definitely became more collaborative in terms of me doing more work on melodies, harmonies and we plan on further explorations of this in the future.”She also spoke of the different vocal styles she employed to convey the meanings of each song.