Life can be hectic, the demands of modern society daunting, etcetera. Henceforth, we have a huge relaxation economy to help people unwind. People do yoga, go swimming, use meditation apps, go to spa’s and the likes. If you are one of these people, I have the following question. Have you tried Chime School?
Chime School (Andy Pastalaniec) is from the fertile indie pop fields of the Bay Area. As soon as I play Chime School’s music, I feel my ears relax from all the abuse I put them through on a daily basis. The jangly guitars help to settle any imbalances, relax my nerve system. Listen to Coming To Your Town, the A-side of their new 7″ single for Slumberland, Meritorio and Fastcut Records for example. This is the good stuff right? Don’t think to much about the lyrics of the song or the context in which it was written – okay, if you really want to know, it’s about the breakdown of civil society and was written while sick with Covid. Skip that, just listen to the music, breathe. Or what about the flipside Love You More. Sounds familiar huh? It’s a Buzzcocks song! When one of your favorite indie pop bands starts to cover Buzzcocks, what more proof do you need that things could be much much worse right now? The cover was originally released on an Oakland Weekender Buzzcocks covers cassette that apparently exists and I need to hear ASAP.
But for now, relax, breathe. Play Chime School. Repeat. You’ll be alright.