It wasn't much of a stretch for me to predict that The Chelsea Curve would release one of the best albums of 2022. The Boston trio could have just compiled the eight fantastic singles it released last year onto one CD, and it would have had one of the finest albums of the year (or any year!). But that was never the vision. The band (Linda Pardee on bass and vocals, Tim Gillis on guitar and vocals, and Ron Belanger on drums) wanted to make a true album. Five more songs entered the mix. The whole lot of 13 tracks was sequenced and mastered, and what results is a sum greater than its parts. Out today on Red On Red Records, All The Things is an essential purchase even if you already own all the singles. Hearing the way these songs flow into each other and create a singular listening experience, you'd swear they were written to be played in this order. And as a fan, I've really enjoyed sitting down with all of these songs at once. When the band released eight singles in eight months last year, I sometimes struggled to keep up! Now I find myself gravitating to tracks I should have paid more attention to ("Inconceivable", "A Better Way") while happily returning to some of my favorite songs of recent memory ("Drag.", "Top It Up", "7000 Hours"). With all of these tunes on one album, you get a complete picture of what The Chelsea Curve is all about. This is a first rate rock and roll trio playing high-energy music with some of the strongest melodies and lyrics you'll ever have the pleasure to hear. If you've been waiting for a Boston power pop band with UK mod and first wave punk influences and a Pretenders-like charisma, you need All The Things!
If The Chelsea Curve disagrees with All The Things being labeled a "singles collection", it's with good reason. Over a third of this record is brand-new material -- all of it of the same caliber as the band's 2021 singles. The previously unheard songs add some new wrinkles yet still fit perfectly with the rest of the album. Opening track "Jamie C'mon" sounds like a power pop radio hit straight out of 1980. "Do All The Things" is a frenetic blast of sing-along punk rock that'll get you going faster than a double shot of espresso. "Eye On You" finds Gillis stepping into a lead vocal role and totally delivering the goods. "Nuthin' Goin' On" is an upbeat rocker that tastefully incorporates ska influences. From the songs to the production to the chops (what is it about Boston that produces so many crazy-good drummers?), this album checks every box. With additional contributions from its "Mod Squad" (Rod Spark on Hammond organ, Dan Levine on trombone, and Jay Webb on trumpet), The Chelsea Curve has taken its sound to the next level!
While not specifically about the pandemic, All The Things truly fits the mood of 2022. Pardee's lyrics all full of tremendous wisdom about handling adversity and making the right (and sometimes difficult) choices in life. Taken as a whole, these songs exude a determined optimism. Collectively we've endured so much and missed out on so many things. As something resembling normalcy in this world slowly returns, it's hard to resist the urge to make up for lost time and literally do all the things! This past fall, The Chelsea Curve left us with a call to "double up on the good stuff." All The Things follows that idea to its logical conclusion. And with a tour of England and an appearance at the Boston Calling Music Festival looming, it seems the band is living its rallying cry. Just when I was starting to agonize over which of several truly excellent early 2022 albums was the best, along comes All The Things to make it a moot point!
