If you want an eclectic listen then add Chip & The Charge Ups to your listening list, with a release date smack bang in the middle of the pandemic their latest full length offering ‘Lightning Our Veins’ like their previous EP’s is a mash of different influences that ends up sounding pretty cool in the main but with a few missteps along the way.
Opening with ‘Feel Electricity’ the enduring electricity theme the band is based around is back front and centre and if you love their riff-based rockers with Chip taking lead this is a great way to open.
Most of course know ‘The Tide Is High’ that follows from the 80’s Blondie cover of The Paragon’s 1967 subtler original, or if your not a music fan then maybe it’s the sad uninspired Atomic Kitten’s 2002 version you’re familiar with. As a huge Blondie fan I was never a big fan of this one and Chip and co add a little Punk and Metal flourish to the mix for this one.
‘Toxic Human’ is another winner with cool opening guitar work and great sing-along vocals. But the first question mark comes with ‘Bark at the Bad Romance feat Courtney Handlovitch’ a mix-up of two songs of different genres that of course so many have done before (with none netter than Rock Sugar). This mix like so many really depends on your feelings about the songs and it’s not far away from sounding great but not a patch on their green Day meets Poison mash-up on YouTube.
Elsewhere you get a great mix of punk – ‘This Bomb Ain’t Gonna Light Itself’; ballads – ‘Iced Tea And Lemonade’ and the confusing rock ‘n’ reggae of ‘Glory’ which again is a great idea but needs just a little more. And that’s kind of the tale here with ‘Unbreakable’ one of the best tracks here and just a power chord or two away from being a classic!
It’s April so of course we end with a Christmas song replete with choir and an opening that mixes Green Day and Joan Jett. ‘Black and Gold Christmas feat. The Black and Gold Christmas Chorus’ celebrates the fact that all of Pittsburgh’s sports teams (that I’m aware of) wear the black and gold colours of the Pittsburgh flag (a flag that actually comes from the coat of arms of William Pitt, the 18th century British prime minister who the City is named after). It’s a fun song and not as annoying as some Christmas numbers, and one that I’m sure will get catchier as we head towards the Northern Winter.
These guys aren’t too far away from hitting the nail on their head and finding their sound but whist they do there’s a certain variability about their output whilst they’re still stirring that pot. I’m sure you’ll find some nuggets here and you won’t even have to wait til Christmas.
7/10