Chocolate Starfish fans had to endure a wait of almost twenty-two years between the second studio album ‘Box’ and their third ‘Spider’ but now after only four short years the ‘Fish’ are back with ‘The Beautiful Addiction’ and fans old & new will be pleased with the results, as it not only captures what the band are all about but also, we hear how they have matured to great effect. Comprising of eleven tracks, ‘The Beautiful Addiction’ was recorded during lockdown, setting the band a host of challenges as they all had to perform most of their parts separately before being magically pulled together by producer Tim Henwood (The Superjesus, The Androids, Palace of the King).
The opening track ‘3 Words’ is a surprisingly chilled start but builds to a nice album opener with writing credits including the late Zorin Romic and Def Leppard’s Phill Collen. The title track ‘Beautiful Addiction’ is much more “in your face” with its quicker tempo and almost 70’s opening groove to it. Lyrically it takes aim at the society we are becoming with the social media addictions that drive may people’s image conscious lives. ‘Afterlife’ is another punchy, catchy rocker and will fit seamlessly into the Starfish live set. Front man Adam Thompson’s vocal takes us into another earworm in ‘Valentino’ with a slight nod of the head to the late Jim Steinman with Norman Falvo’s keys every present throughout. Another pleasant surprise from me on this album is the exquisite ‘Dolls House’, a mellow & haunting tune which opens up and shows us another side of Chocolate Starfish. ‘Burning Hollywood’ takes us back up to speed with a real up-tempo groove, catchy chorus and Zakk Zedras guitar licks. The first single to be released was the cover of 4 Non-Blondes ‘What’s Up?’ and even though it is a great stand-alone version when they perform it live, its probably my least favourite in this collection, such is the strength of some of their original material.
Thompson recently told me he wrote ‘God & I Know’ for his wife for their wedding day eighteen years ago and the rest of the band liked it so much they talked him into to recording it with the group… a great decision as this is quite possibly my favourite on the album. Keys, subtle strings and gentle vocals before building to a solid chorus with wonderful backing harmonies. Stunning! ‘Call Me Out’ is another that pulls orchestral strings in, and it works well, with a chorus that will be another destined for the live set… surely! ‘Someone’s Girl’ has a bit of a Killers feel to it, with Darren Danielson & John Nixon supplying the solid foundations of rhythm throughout the album. The hypnotic sounds of a chain-gang beat bring us to the album closer, with ‘Storm in a Teacup’ combining its hand clapping, tribal vibe with underlying digeridoo.
I won’t lie, ‘The Beautiful Addiction’ took me a couple of listens before it gripped me but when it did it pulled me in to be an album I have and will continue to listen to and enjoy. The artwork is visually breathtaking and for this reason alone I will be hanging out to buy this on vinyl. Chocolate Starfish are back writing & releasing good solid music and fingers crossed we won’t be waiting too long for the next chapter from this Australian band.
8/10
Track Listing:
3 Words
Beautiful Addiction
Afterlife
Valentino
Dolls House
Burning Hollywood
What’s Up?
God & I Know
Call Me Out
Someone’s Girl
Storm in a Teacup
