Chief - Breaking Walls Single Review

With the obligatory Glastonbury gig now ticked off in their things to do list Chief can once again concentrate on all things pertaining to the eagerly awaited debut LP entitled Modern Rituals. Teasing you with first, a free download, earlier in the year with 'Night & Day' the longitudinally traversing 'melo-rockers' present single number two, Breaking Walls.

The Santa Monica private (public to us) school boys took off to the more cosmopolitan East Coast to finish their years in educational institutions. The band started to rehearse and then gig after developing their sound around the penmanship of singer (Don't call him lead singer) Evan Koga. (they are "One family unit. No leaders, no egos, a four headed snake") Takes all sorts you know. Since then they've been snaffled up by London's very own Domino Records and moved back West where the sun is warmer, the surf is finer and the BPM is less frantic.

Flitting back and forth from East to West and enlisting the help of Grammy Award winner Emery Dobyns along the way the band with no leader, but a commanders name, have produced what they like to call a "Travellers record". Danny says "I listen to it and it immediately feels natural....I see myself driving down the PCH." There may be coastal references aplenty and a certain sun kissed appeal but don't be expecting Jan & Dean or The Beach Boys. Chief are the latest in an ever increasing line of very melodic, harmony driven folk flavoured rock that has become de rigueur of recent years. think Fleet Foxes, Great Lake Swimmers or Band Of Horses and you'll be in the ball park.

Breaking Walls is very melodic, has a lovely light jangly guitar loop paired with the occasionally subdued use of power chords backed by some very pert percussion, whilst the vocals sound oddly (Nicely even) Verve like. The song has a melancholic hue that is infused with the last knockings of a summers day and upon a more concentrated listen delivers an optimists message.....

"With you I wake and everyday the summer's gone,
And I have got no fear, nothing to run from."

Having set out "To create a record free of gimmicks and fences" the boys from SoCal (Oh don't you love an Americanism) have succeeded. Having recently been on the Rebel Playlist and appeared on Zane Lowe they may have pushed their collective heads further above the parapet. Should the album be of sufficient quality they may stay there unscathed, if not they may fall back into the rank and file.

Andrew Lockwood.