The Chelsea Curve show off a mod-pop know-how on ‘Inconceivable’
The Boston trio release sixth ‘Singles Scene’ single on Wednesday, August 25
The Chelsea Curve’s debut album set for Winter 2022 release via independent label Red On Red Records
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Photo credit: Reuben
BOSTON, MA [August 25, 2021] -- Due in part to its geography, history, and overall vibe of the populace, Boston has always been the most British city in America, even after all those squabbles a few short centuries ago. UK bands often begin their national tours here, mod dance parties reigned supreme for decades, and even Fred Perry set up shop in our iconic shopping district along Newbury Street in the Back Bay. Boston music has also drawn a lineage across the Atlantic as well, our garage and indie scenes pulling style and sound that connects British Invasion to Cool Britannia, and the latest to reflect and enhance this brand of casual cool are The Chelsea Curve.
Named for the treacherous stretch of Route 1 highway just north of Boston, The Chelsea Curve have spent the better part of 2021 releasing a string of mod-pop and garage rock earworms dubbed The Singles Scene. The sixth and latest track is “Inconceivable,” a stylish dash of sophisticated guitar-pop that hits streaming platforms on Wednesday, August 25.
“Inconceivable,” as well as the five tracks that came before it, two more set to arrive over the next two months, and five additional unreleased tracks, will be featured on The Chelsea Curve’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, set for Winter 2022 release through independent Boston label Red On Red Records.
“More than ever, we are embracing British sensibilities,” says The Chelsea Curve vocalist and bassist Linda Pardee. “Let’s face it, we are Anglophiles at heart. We love the mod sound and style, the humor, the cleverness, the cheekiness of the Brits.”
With the snarl of the punk scene and the swagger of the mods, The Chelsea Curve often earn comparisons to The Pretenders and Husker Du (personal favorites of the trio). But “Inconceivable” and its impeccable groove swerves to broader British subculture territory, connecting Modern Life Is Rubbish-era Blur to the ‘80s height of The Style Council’s songwriting prowess. It’s working title, in fact, was “WWPWD” -- “What Would Paul Weller Do?”
“This song came about when I was trying to find five-syllable words to fit the rhythm of the melody and ended up making fun of myself for it -- inconceivable, inexplicable, disingenuous, etc.,” Pardee adds. “It turned into a song about someone mocking another for using big words. Is the one being sung about trying to show off or being something she’s not? Or does she just have a decent vocabulary and the narrator is unfamiliar with these words? The movie Idiocracy came to mind.”
Despite The Chelsea Curve’s debut single arriving just this past March (the spiky “Girl Cavedog”), the trio has garnered a healthy amount of airplay across the global independent radio circuit, charting frequently on the Indie Radio Alliance and becoming a personal favorite of Rodney Bingenheimer on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage. It’s been a fast rise for a band that’s just hitting its stride.
“Creatively, ‘Inconceivable’ and the latter half of The Singles Scene series were written without the chance to play them live to work them out, due to the pandemic. So, Tim [Gillis, guitarist] and I focused on writing and recording demos of these songs weekly, critiquing them, and re-recording them the following week. Once the structure was in place we got together with Ron [Belanger, drummer] for his input and arrangement ideas. We were working towards a studio deadline, having booked the studio time in advance and challenging ourselves to get it done. Thankfully, we did without too much nail biting!”
Pardee adds: “Our goal was to find our own updated mod-imprinted sound and style and attract like minded fans and bands. We felt this approach would lead to larger audiences and bigger stages. Plus, we all love wearing fancy footwear!”
That footwear will take The Chelsea Curve into the fall, where, once the eighth and final Singles Scene song is released in October, the band will spend the holiday season hosting parties around town, raising a glass to the year that was and toasting the album release set to come in early ‘22. ‘Tis the season, after all.
“To bridge the gap between the singles and the album, we’ll be bringing The Singles Scene to life with a set of intimate residency shows at the end of the year,” Pardee declares. “Cool guest bands and DJs! Proper venue! Early cocktail hour start time! A good hang! All details will be forthcoming this fall. Swing it!”
Please direct all press inquiries to The Chelsea Curve at thechelseacurve@gmail.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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The Chelsea Curve are:
Linda Pardee (bass and vocals), Ron Belanger (drums), Tim Gillis (guitar and vocals)
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The Chelsea Curve short bio:
The Chelsea Curve have always been your favorite band, providing the constant song playing in your head as scenes, styles, and sounds change around you. 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 2021 unleashed The Singles Scene, a string of monthly releases featuring ultra-melodic earworms off their forthcoming debut album, set for winter 2022 release via red-hot indie label Red On Red Records. Everyone who listens to The Chelsea Curve connects the band’s influence to their own personal favorites of yesterday, but with five Singles Scene tracks released so far this year, and global radio play amplifying their presence louder with each offering, The Chelsea Curve are quickly forging their own rock and roll path connecting the past to the present.
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‘Inconceivable’ single artwork:
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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 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.
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.
Global: 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).
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Media praise for The Chelsea Curve:
“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
“[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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