Chromatics

Chrome Rats Vs. Basement Ruts

scum stats: first pressing on grey vinyl (500 copies?) the rest on black

If you're familiar with Chromatics, it's most likely through their shimmering, Italo-disco flavored noir workouts of the past 15 years or so. Produced within an inch of its life, featuring breathy female vocals and highlighting inspired takes on classics like Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" or Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" the shit is legitimately great, on par (and collaborated with) the Glass Candy/Johnny Jewel world, exclusively released on the Italians Do It Better label.

But THIS version of the Chromatics predates all of that by a couple of years. Raw, dirty, punk as hell, and although forgotten about for a couple of years (and unavailable on streaming, as far as I can tell) my recent revisitation has reminded me just how bonkers I was about this album in 2003 and how it has aged wonderfully.

After having been wildly psyched about their earlier singles and EP and having been quite vocal about it, a hand-dubbed cassette of this album arrived in the mail via Calvin Johnson from K Records. Always a solid dude, he didn't have to do that, the album wouldn't be out for months, but he just thought I HAD to hear it.

Man was he right.

The opener "NBA" is everything you could ever ask for. Just so damn good...every element from the guitars to drums to bass to vocals hitting every last mark, locked in so damn tight, feeling and sounding like nothing else at the time and seemingly nothing since. I'm legitimately perplexed as to giving a comparison as to what it sounds like. There's a FEEL that's similar to Gang of Four or even Joy Division, but as soon as I type that, I just wanna explain ALL the ways it is so totally different from both of those examples.

Also, naming a song "NBA"...I have no idea what it means, but it just seems smooth as all get out.

From there, "Washed Up On a Beach of Infants" had appeared on some releases prior to (and after) this one, but as far as I'm concerned, the rendition here is the one for posterity. Is it at odds for something to be angry and yet not dark? Maybe that's what's happening here, while the bass and guitar intertwine in some of the most symbiotic and complementary tones I could ever imagine. Essential.

Beyond, the bounce of "Hannah's Song" feels finger-pointy with an air of being above it all. Just vibes for days. Swim in it and get lost. You cannot go wrong. May be the only song I know that references being "dressed up in mesh."

And as a particular aside, I find it quite impressive this band navigated two seemingly opposing genres and styles. Granted, the only constant for the entire Chromatics career is Adam Miller, but still, such a feat is much harder to accomplish than you'd think...I was stoked between the first Liars album and "They Were Wrong So We Drowned" but this feels like it's on a whole other plane of existence than that progression. Shit, who are we kidding, the Chromatics are most definitely a certified glow up.

I wrote a review of this back in 2003 that was actually published and after taking some time to dig it up, I'm only like 25% cringing at it. If you wanna take part in the most boring scavenger hunt ever, see if you can dig up said review. It's not impossible to find. Share it back with me and I'll send you something in the realm of a "prize."