The Chelsea Curve: Get to know the band

The Boston trio blast out bracing retro mod-pop with hooks aplenty

Knyvet

May 3, 2023

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Affiliated genres: power-pop, mod-pop, alt-rock, indie, garage rock, guitar-pop
FFO: The Jam, The Pretenders, The Clash, Husker Du, The Breeders
Listen to debut album ‘All The Things’: Spotify x Bandcamp
Photo Credit: Joshua Pickering Photography

With a sonic template rooted in retro mod-pop but with enough snarl to roll with the punks and whipsmart hooks to hang with the rock and roll crowd, the Boston trio have in 2022 unleashed their debut album “All The Things” via red-hot indie label Red On Red Records. Already being touted as one of the best albums of 2022, The Chelsea Curve further raised the stakes with a raging set of shows in the UK in May which culminated with a head-turning appearance at the 2022 Boston Calling Music Festival. It is clear to all they encounter, The Chelsea Curve are stepping it up and stepping out!

The Chelsea Curve Bio:

The Chelsea Curve want to make you move. But how you do it is up to you.

Inspired by Boston and British culture, the mod-pop trio switched on in 2019 with a singular mission to create infectious, punchy, sing-along rock and roll. Armed with an arsenal of catchy tunes appealing to both the clubs and the pubs, and properly bonded over a love of ‘70s punk and the mod style of sound, The Chelsea Curve are composed of Linda Pardee (bass and vocals) and Tim Gillis (guitar and vocals), with Ron Belanger (drums) holding down the steady backbeat.

An immediate fixture on Boston’s live music circuit, the fledgling Chelsea Curve joined the Whistlestop tour at the start of 2020. But as the pandemic shook up the music landscape, the trio shifted gears from the stage to the screen, linking up with New England-based independent label Red On Red Records to outline a grand plan of releasing colorful new music while the clubs remained dark. With a full album’s worth of material at the ready, Pardee, Gillis, and Belanger launched The Singles Scene in 2021, an eight-month rollout of one new song every four weeks, earning a steady presence on both social media and in-the-know radio stations and shows around the world.

The Chelsea Curve kickstarted The Singles Scene with the rambunctious “Girl Cavedog,” staying the course with new music through the year before wrapping the series with the melodic thump of pub-rocking rave-up “Top it Up.” As the world slowly re-opened, The Chelsea Curve returned to stages as varied and diverse as their own driveway (Melrose Porchfest), local breweries (Red on Red’s summer showcase at Craft Food Halls) and the much-missed rock clubs like The Jungle in Somerville, where they warmed up the winter and welcomed 2022 with a two-night residency.

The success of Singles Scene, and its new approach to releasing music in the digital age, led directly into The Chelsea Curve’s March 2022 debut record, which earned widespread blog and media praise and global indie radio airplay. From there, the stages grew larger, as did the crowds: The band played Boston Calling Music Festival, skipped across the Atlantic for a UK tour, and held court at a scooter rally in Las Vegas. Now new music is planned for 2023, starting with spring single “How Can I (Resist You)?”, and more music to follow in the summer and fall.

It’s clear that everyone who listens to The Chelsea Curve connects the band’s influence to their own personal favorites of yesterday. But with a debut album racking up streams and a growing homegrown fanbase amplifying their presence louder and louder at each show, The Chelsea Curve are quickly forging their own rock and roll path connecting the past to the present.

And in their world, there is no standing still.

The Chelsea Curve are:

Linda Pardee (bass and vocals) - Ron Belanger (drums) - Tim Gillis (guitar and vocals)

The music of The Chelsea Curve has been heard on:

USA: The Rodney Bingenheimer Show on SiriusXM, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, The Rodent Hour on Radio Free Brooklyn, WZBC’s Fuzzed Out, Bay State Rock, BumbleBee Radio, Rising with Skybar and Strike The Box on WMFO Tufts Radio, Music Authority, FONR, Hanks Alternative Radio, WITR, KZUU, Chasing The Essential, iROCK Radio, Krux FM, Garagerocktopia, Aggie Radio, New Visions Radio Network, Woody Radio, Lucky Star, DM Pulse, WORT, WMPG, KTAL, Rock And Roll Radio, Power Pop Shop Chicago, Red Red Wine on a Sunday.

United Kingdom: Somer Valley, Radio Skye, EN5, Howfen Radio, UK Independent, CDNX, Camglen Radio, IPO Radio, Pop Radio UK, Radio Wey, Belter Radio, Radio VGR, Oban (Scotland), KOR Radio, Merseyland, KCC Live, Limehead Radio, Military Veterans Network, Perfumed Allotment, IC Radio, Redwall, LSR Leeds, Future Radio, EDA Scotland, Dandelion, Cambridge, Castledown, Radio Warfare, Steve Garnett’s New Music Radio, The Menace’s House of Music.

Around The World: Banks Radio Australia, Base FM (New Zealand), Lux Radio (Brazil), Radio Sotra (Norway), Radio Jade (Germany), Flatlines Radio (Germany), Valley 89.5 FM (Australia), Dublin City FM (Dublin), Narradio 95.3 (Sweden), QCIndie (Canada), Mike Rogers Show (Japan), FM4 (Germany), Radio Pepito (Mexico), Island 92 (Phillipsburg, Saint Maarten), Radio Ara (Lux), Only Rock Radio (Spain), Queens of Noize (Australia), Voix de Garage (France), Plastico Elastico (Spain), Shakin’ Street (Dublin), Fun Rock Radio (Norway).

…And other fine stations, shows, playlists, and programs.

Media praise for The Chelsea Curve:

“[The Chelsea Curve] are creating a retro, power pop sound (and look) that harkens back to Boston's clubs and pubs of yore.” _WBUR

“It’s hard to place the record or the band in a specific era. The trio (Linda Pardee, Tim Gillis, and Ron Belanger) take the best parts of power-pop, punk, mod, rock-’n’-soul and everything in between to create something that sounds fresh yet familiar and fully conceived. Kinda like The Muffs took on Elvis Costello as an additional member. With All The Things, The Chelsea Curve are here to make rock-‘n’-roll hearts beat faster. _Add To Want List

“...the Boston-based band's album is an absolute blast, an incredibly catchy explosion of vibrant, high-spirited rock ‘n’ roll that’s a little bit bubble gum, and a little bit whiskey. It’s unrelentingly upbeat at points, but there’s still a bite.” _Worcester Magazine

“On last year's All the Things, they play a slick as hell version of garage rock borrowing heavily from pop and maybe dipping their toes a bit in oldies rock. Friday night they were much louder than I expected and far more punk sounding. They had much more of a Ramones sound than The Archies. Plus, The Chelsea Curve just emanated cool. Some bands just have that captivating factor as soon as they walk on stage, and The Chelsea Curve are stars just waiting to happen.” _If It’s Too Loud

Waving the mod flag high and proud is the Chelsea Curve … I really like how [‘Nuthin’ Goin’ On’] blends punk and ska together while being an anthem for those who are looking to make something happen.” _DigBoston’s Best of 2022

"Are the gal and guys of the Chelsea Curve really releasing a new single every month? Man, I hate overachievers, mainly because I'm jealous of, y'know, ambition. I forgive 'em quickly because each of these singles has been pretty damned swell, which is why we play them all on the radio.” _Boppin’ Like The Hip Folks Do (Carl Cafarelli)

“The Boston trio just released ‘A Better Way,’ and it's virtually perfect… a jangly as hell pop punk/garage rock jam. It's a bouncy song dripping with punk attitude despite being filled with pop hooks.” _If It’s Too Loud

"'Drag' is something special. When that chorus hits, it's absolute magic... If catchy mod-pop with tons of smarts, big hooks, and amazing vocals sounds appealing to you, all of these Chelsea Curve singles are essential downloads." _Faster and Louder

“Keep doubling up on all the good stuﬀ! Thatʼs the kind of good advice we need and we get from The Chelsea Curve on new single ʻTop It Up.ʼ Pub rock, power pop, pop punk, old school punk rock (yes, yes, yes and yes)” _The Boston Herald

"The song [‘Inconceivable’] is a dazzling, mesmerizing track ... and they really have a sound that pays homage to the past, while also embracing the musical possibilities of the future." _Music Box Pete

“[The Chelsea Curve] excel both in the more classic melodic punk style ...and in their more quirky material, like the ditty they wrote explaining how to decode the weather beacon atop the old John Hancock building in Boston.” _Rock And Reel

“‘A Better Way’ is a jangly, Jam-like affair. Like the others it sounds like maybe it was a hit before and you just can't recognize it. Singer Linda Bean Pardee has another stellar vocal performance. There's a little Chrissie Hynde in it. The way the song is written allows her to wrap the words around the melody and give them a twist that your ear just loves.” _Boston Groupie News

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