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Skating Polly
Chaos County Line
El Camino Media
Jul 10, 2023
Internet Unique
Loads can change in 5 years: pandemics, the rise and fall of satsuma-hued demagogues, and what has generally regarded like the entire collapse of the music business. Nevertheless, one factor hasn’t modified: Oklahoma step-sibling trio Skating Polly’s dedication to doing issues their very own means. After a five-year hole, the trio follows up 2018’s Make It All Present with a double album within the form of Chaos County Line.
Within the consideration deficit age of streaming, it’s a daring transfer to launch a double album, particularly one that’s as eclectic as Chaos County Line. It’s not a physique of labor that you simply would possibly precisely name cohesive; nevertheless, that is mitigated by the sheer high quality of the songs written by step-sisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse. The band shaped after they had been simply 9 and 14 respectively and had been joined by Mayo’s brother Kurtis on drums in 2017. Through the years, they’ve developed from prodigious younger skills to revered artists as their self-described “ugly pop” has steadily developed, gaining followers from throughout the musical and creative spectrum reminiscent of Lori Barbero (Babes In Toyland), UK Musician Kate Nash, and Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen.
Chaos County Line is definitely their most accessible and pop-sounding album. It’s additionally certainly one of their greatest, containing their most melodically refined and emotionally sincere songs to this point. “Tiger on the Drugstore,” a music, based on Bighorse, that’s about “placing all this stress on your self to behave grown-up and faux like every part is okay in your life,” is an excellent instance of their evolution. It’s a spine-tingling tune that radiates wistful magnificence, allied to a beautiful melody—and was certainly a extra apparent alternative for a single than the current “Ship a Priest?”
There’s nonetheless loads of ’90s-infused distortion, riot grrrl-style anger, and raging punky melodies current to fulfill their long-term fanbase. The trashy hick-grunge of “Child On My Birthday,” for instance, or the relentless groove of “Rabbit Meals,” in addition to the swaggering “Man Out There” that includes The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. Nevertheless, it’s, doubtless, an album that has reaped the rewards of the step-sisters embracing a extra candid strategy to their songwriting. As their brother Kurt Mayo mirrored, “I believe on this document Kelli and Peyton had been actually assured in being extra sincere and extra experimental on the identical time, whereas previously they may’ve made the lyrics extra poetic with the intention to cloak that honesty a bit.”
Skating Polly’s energy has all the time been their skill to change between types, from raging grunge rock à la Gap and Nirvana to bubblegum punk pop, one may argue that it is perhaps the album’s one weak point within the sense that the tracklisting can really feel a bit of scattergun. For instance, when a observe just like the punky “Sing Alongside,” which has a contact of Coming Up For Air period Penetration, is then adopted by the slow-burning “Somebody Like a Good friend” or the bouncy relentless groove of “Double Decker” is adopted by the gorgeous “Charlie’s Brother,” it does have the impact of stymying the album’s momentum. However actually that’s a minor quibble, as there’s completely no difficulty with the standard of the songs. Mayo and Bighorse as soon as once more show themselves to be melodically astute songwriters, capable of change types on the flick of a change. Would the album have been extra impactful if a couple of songs had been shaved off? Probably, however when Skating Polly hit the heights you may’t assist however surprise why they haven’t progressed past their cult underground standing.
Whether or not this album opens them as much as a brand new viewers stays to be seen, however Chaos County Line is stuffed with heat, sly self-deprecating humor, righteous anger, brutal honesty, and superbly crafted melodies.
How does one even measure success on this unusual and fractured musical panorama? Maybe with the ability to proceed to write down, document, launch, and tour their very own music as a band answerable for their very own creative course is reward sufficient in and of itself. (www.skatingpolly.com)
Writer score: 8/10
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