Brooklyn-based band, Chumped are a band full of feelings. With their 12-track debut, they deliver an album full of punk-esque tunes with lyrics that summon the emotions felt when you’re trying to get over somebody or when you just need to put your music really loud while driving, annoucing to the world that you’re pissed off at everything. Teenage Retirement isn’t the kind of album you would listen to with your significant other on a roadtrip because that would be road kill. It’s an album that fuses together what punk music is all about; simple, loud and angsty. It’s far from the the likes of Paramore, in fact, I wouldn’t even classify them as Pop Punk per se. They are, according to their Facebook page, ‘bummer punk’.
However, there’s nothing to be bummed about their music. The story behind the title of the album is an interesting one because once you finish high school, there’s a sense of being slightly hollow once you enter your 20s and that’s where all the confusion and life crisis begins; teenage retirement. It starts off as “December is the Longest Month”, showing a track with apathetic tuning and outspoken guitar rhythm. Anika’s vocals are quite high-pitched but throughout the song, she mainly sings in a low range, which is well executed with the instrumentation. It’s only then she hits those high notes in the chorus. For a beginning track, it’s a descriptive number that resonates an ‘I’m over it’ kind of attitude. One where you will find commonly in situations where people think they can treat you like a doormat. It’s clear that there’s also a sense of bitterness too.
“Hot 97 Summer Jam” sounds a lot happier, more upbeat and essentially, girly but listeners should not be fooled. The continuous guitar riffs that echo within the song keep the balance of the track, with more emotive lyrical content that is descriptive of unrequited love, being the option rather than the priority. The roles have reversed and it’s kinda cool to see a band with a female lead, standing out from all the punk movement masculinity. Chumped are a band that clearly like producing raw music and it feels like they’ve left the songs in their natural state, making it their honest work yet without any of the coverups made from mixing and production.
Appearing grunge-like at times, especially in “Anywhere But Here”, it’s clear that Smashing Pumpkinswas a musical influence because of the slow and mellowness style it tends to create with its loose guitar and drum work. ‘Take me anywhere but here’ is sung so fiercely by Anika, compromising with the electrifying build-up with the lead guitar, creating an image of someone getting a hold of your wings and not allowing you to fly away to experience ultimate freedom.
There’s an incredible connection between the two last tracks off the debut and it’s impressive to see a band try and experiment different genres such as post-rock to add more variety to the record. Evident in “The Pains of Being…”, the anticipation created by the instrumentals will essentially give you goosebumps because of the rhythmic drum and guitar work. Of course, it’s nothing too dramatic but it’s enough to keep a listener intrigued.
Concluding track “Old and Tired” summarises the apathetic attitude of the overall record and it takes into account a numerous sets of events that has happened to someone that has made them really bitter about life and has given them the warning sign to not trust anyone. Cliché move but the melancholic instrumentation created by the drums and guitars exemplifies that the older you get, the less inspired you become about everything in life.
As emotionally draining this record may be, Chumped have released something that will give the listener a decent enough service in “I need music to let people know that I’m having a bad day that not even Daniel Powter can cheer me up.” Suffice it to say, it’s a record that many will find subtle enough to listen to whilst feeling bummed but it will make you realise that the reality of life is tough but you must persevere and move on. Pain is inevitable, so is change. Life’s too short to be stuck anyway.
Review Score: 8.0 out of 10.
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