By: Dave Allan Guzda
Chastity Belt | facebook | twitter | bandcamp |
Released on March 23, 2015 via Hardly Art
Chastity Belt are a four piece rock band hailing from the Seattle area of Washington. Their recent album Time to Go Home is their second full release and shows the band expanding their sound well beyond the basics required to entertain inebriated college students. From the opening track ‘Drone’ I was enthralled by Chastity Belt’s blend of catchy surf-punk flavoured melodies and slow deliberate hazy arrangements. If that sounds appealing then Time to Go Home has plenty to offer you.
The ten songs don’t stray too far from this tonally which can be either a good or bad thing depending on your point of view. I certainly enjoyed when the band would jump into some up-tempo energy. They do so occasionally like the brilliant and haunting chorus of the title track ‘Time To Go Home’ or when the guitar gets dirty and hard edged during ‘The Thing’. When Belt decide to rock or drift into heavier sounds they achieve some dazzling results… I just wish they did it more often!
That is a minor gripe, there is unquestionably plenty to like (if not love) about this album. It is eminently listenable, with some fantastic instrumental sections and charming vocal melodies. José Díaz who recorded the album has it sounding crisp, bright and dreamy with a consistent level of blissful haze throughout. Tracks like ‘Joke’ and ‘Trapped’ are easy to melt into with the alluring guitar interplay between Julia Shapiro (guitar, vocals) and Lydia Lund (guitar). Their guitar-work sparkles with infectious melodies and warm inviting moods. I grew up listening to a lot of 80s metal. It was mostly sung by horny men and some of it was explicitly sexual. It often aggressively encouraged men to get laid. Many years have passed since then and it is about time it was okay for everyone to enjoy sex and not be labelled or stereotyped. Belt’s song ‘Cool Slut’ has become a bit of a feminist anthem declaring “To all the girls in the world /Trying to take off their shirts/ Ladies it’s okay to be/ It’s okay to be sluuuuuuut-yyyy“. Equality… what is wrong with that?
The sum of Chastity Belt’s sound is where the aural seduction occurs. The bass (Annie Truscott) and drums (Gretchen Grimm) add a tenacious rhythm and confident backdrop for the guitar and vocals to shine on Time to Go Home. The more I listen to Shapiro’s voice the more I like it. Her steady voice reminds me of the slightly sullen, deeper tones found in some of Zola Jesus’ vocals. I find her composed, even-keel voice adds poise to the material regardless of where the band’s lyrical cul-de-sacs venture into.
I believe the ultimate indication of an album’s quality is how soon after it ends you want to hear it again. I’ve found myself humming melodies and singing (quietly to myself – ahem) “It’s okay to be sluuuuuuut-yyyy” and replaying various tracks over and over. The shimmering musical alchemy entitled ‘Time to Go Home’ is bewitching fun and shows fabulous promise for Chastity Belt. So get on with “living, breathing, dreaming and dying” and check out this impressive sophomore release.
