The Chelsea Curve unleash ‘All The Things’
The Chelsea Curve unleash ‘All The Things’
Highly anticipated debut album from Boston mod-pop trio out now on Red On Red Records
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The 13-track CD and digital release follows their 8-song Singles Scene series and lands before The Chelsea Curve play England and Boston Calling Music Festival
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Photo credit: Reuben
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READ: THE CHELSEA CURVE & RED ON RED RECORDS TALK SINGLES SCENE
BOSTON, MA [March 31, 2022] -- They say no one listens to albums anymore. They say attention spans are shorter than the width of a Lambretta. And they say a band’s multi-track release should be no longer than an EP. They say a lot of things, but they don’t say All The Things.
For The Chelsea Curve, doing it their way and playing by their own rules has been part of the game all along. So it should come as no surprise that the Boston mod-pop trio – who turned heads and heels with their 2021 eight-song Singles Scene series – are ready to buck the trends once again with the release of their debut album All The Things. The 13-track record, composed of their eight prior singles plus five new tracks, is set for a March 31 unveiling via Red On Red Records, released digitally and on compact disc.
But this is no compilation; this is no so-called “greatest hits” re-issue. This is a rock and roll band doing rock and roll things, and getting louder by the moment. And it’s ready to be heard not only in their own city, from the garage-rocking pubs n’ clubs that foster our vibrant music scene to that treacherous strip of highway that lends their band moniker, but also across the Atlantic. Throughout England’s subculture, The Chelsea Curve’s core traces of British Invasion, punk, and Cool Britannia dance through aisles of power-pop and mod revivalism with an unmistakable freshness. This is a debut album, in the most traditional sense, of a band demanding your attention.
“This is much more than a re-packaging of the singles,” says guitarist Tim Gillis. “We still have some aces up our sleeve. The singles are there but mixed in with a solid amount of new material that I think will surprise people.” Bassist and vocalist Linda Pardee concurs: “As it turns out, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When I listened to the mastered record for the first time, I was surprised how the singles felt different as part of an album, but in a very good way. They were stronger mixed together with the new unreleased tracks, almost like it was some grand plan but it was really just luck.”
The batch of unreleased material includes “Jamie C’mon”, a rousing shout-along album opener that features Scottish mod marvel Rod Spark on the Hammond organ; some therapeutic hardcore punk adrenaline on display in “Do All The Things”; and the ska-infused and brass-fueled “Nothin’ Goin’ On.”
Paired with the band’s now-familiar singles – including the pub-rockin’ rave-up “Top It Up”; the melancholic “7000 Hours”; and the punchy track the started it all, “Girl Cavedog” – what The Chelsea Curve have outlined is a journey of a record that displays their growth not only as a band, but as songwriters, musicians, and people. Or as drummer Ron Belanger describes it, listeners can expect a collection of “in your face punk and mod-rock, mostly. With a few surprises thrown in to keep it interesting.” That rings evident from the headsmart nature of their songs to the stylish footwear that puts a bounce in their step.
“We cover a lot of ground on this one,” adds Gillis. “We put a lot of heart and sweat and booze into these tracks and it’s great to have them all together at last. There are a lot of influences that we pulled from but there’s a thread that runs through these songs and ties them all together. We like mod, we like punk, we like pop, and all those things are there. Anyone who likes that is gonna find something here.”
Pardee’s lyricisms also take center stage, with a handful of songs swirling around life’s dualities and contrasts: Failure and success; bravery and fear; love and frustration; and of course, everything and nothing. There’s a timeless quality to those themes, but they also ring loud in 2022 with everything we’ve all endured over the past two years.
“We titled the album All The Things,” says Pardee. “There is a track called ‘Do All The Things’ that is about wanting to do everything – all the time, all at once, no matter what – but driving yourself crazy by overloading. We all had to pause doing things we love – playing shows, traveling, going out, etc., and I was thinking about making up for lost time and just doing EVERYTHING! It is kind of our rally cry for 2022. We want to do all the things. Come along with us!”
That type of ambition is as infectious as the chorus in “Inconceivable.” But as society slowly began its crawl to so-called normalcy, The Chelsea Curve were sure to wait until the right time to release this stylish beast of an album. But with live appearances in England and at Boston Calling Music Festival arriving in the spring, the time was right to pull together the prior singles, round up the new bangers, and top-button them up into one furious 35-minute shot of high-styled rock and roll. Even if there was temptation to unleash the goods at an earlier time, and the uncertainty of the world around them may have, at times, distracted from the plan ahead.
“Because of the approach we took releasing eight singles over the course of the last year, it has felt like this album has been on the verge of release for a bit of an eternity,” says Pardee. “Good things come to those who wait, I guess, but my patience is spent. Right now, I feel fantastic and relieved! But at various points in the past, stressed, crazed, and frazzled would have been more like it.”
In the end, All The Things is the perfect re-introduction to The Chelsea Curve, almost like binge-watching your favorite show on a streaming service after initially watching it episode by episode on television. When consumed together, greater threads and common bonds appear, new arches and highlights shine like the morning, and the storyline of a band finding their footing becomes that much clearer.
“It feels great because so many artists don’t do albums any more,” concludes Belanger. “Just dribble out a single here and a remix there. Which is a shame because albums, with their careful choice of track listings, multiple moods and feelings, and overall length vs. a single really lets the listener get to know the band a bit better. And I think you’ll see that when you listen to this record from start to finish.”
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
Tim Gillis - Guitar and vocals
Ron Belanger - Drums
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‘All The Things’ album credits:
THE CHELSEA CURVE MOD SQUAD:
Rod Spark – Hammond Organ
Dan Levine – Trombone
Jay Webb – Trumpet
Keys arranged by Rod Spark
Horns arranged by Joel Shelton with Tim and Linda
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Music by The Chelsea Curve
Lyrics by Linda Pardee except “Eye On You” by Tim Gillis
Recorded and mixed by Mike Quinn
Produced by The Chelsea Curve
Mastered by Dave Locke / JP Masters, Seattle, WA
Design by Linda Pardee
Band silos made from photo by John Keegan
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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 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.
In March 2021, 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 in October 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.
With The Singles Scene songs now out in the wild – and finally performed for live audiences – each will be featured, alongside some new cuts, on The Chelsea Curve’s forthcoming debut record, due March 2022 on Red on Red. 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 the debut LP on the way and global radio play amplifying their presence louder with each mod-pop offering, 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.
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‘All The Things’ album 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 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.
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Media praise for The Chelsea Curve:
"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
"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 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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