3 out of 5

Label: Expert Work Records

Produced by: Dennis Bowen (recorded by)

There’s a particular vein of post-punk that I’d tend to point at Gang of Four as the main inspirational source for most: monotone, bass heavy, and angular but funky. A key feature of this style tends to be the vocal delivery / tone, which is somewhat off key, also monotone, and big on speak-sing. GoF is a reference for a lot of bands I love who don’t tap into this exact vein I’m referencing, so I respect the Gang’s place in the music halls of “yeah, I know ’em” nod-along recognition, but they’re also admittedly not my bag.

Once more, I say this to confess my bias up front, as Atlanta, GA’s Chandelier are all up in that Gang of Four style, and I could feel myself frowning a bit internally as the initial plunked guitar notes and steady beat rang out, and Kyle Syrylo’s plaintive speak-sing dropped in. Drummer Dennis Bowen’s recording is really solid, though, getting that meaty Steve Albini sound with a little more space that fleshes out Chandelier’s generally sparse songcraft, and Thomas Martino’s subsequent mix / Ben Greenberg’s master likely ante that all up even more: the 11 tracks here fill a big space of reverb and open notes while maintaining a certain intimacy that adds personality where I’d argue the lyrics or song-by-song nuance are maybe lacking.

I’m being harsh; that’s the bias again. Because what I’m skipping over is that the band pushes past their GoF by way of Pavement college-core setup into more experimental or rocking territory on occasion – and honestly, for about half the album – that it’s clear there’s not only plenty to work with here already, even for a sour listener like me, but likely a lot more to come and the group keeps refining their identity. Some examples of the above: when opener Straddle the Line breaks down into shattered chords in its coda; when Enemy taps into a FACS-like anti-song approach – drone like repetition, and beat-breaking stutters; or when The Stop pushes forward into more of a Touch and Go sludge / no wave vibe, all adding to that Gang of Four base in ways more intriguing than the otherwise mimicry.

Which can be good, of course – as in enjoyable and successfully mimicked – especially when buoyed by the above-highlighted production, but then the album gets leveled out again by only having (outside of the highlights) one or two song structures / paces to work with, such that it can rather easily lose distinction between tracks if you’re not purposefully paying attention.