Chelsey & the Noise : "Blank Frames"

Half of the time when band's submit something for review it's painful, the other half is a lucky surprise, this album falls on that side of the fence. Almost like a more glitch ridden version of Pale Wave. This project takes you on a more glitchy and experimental ride with twisted pop groove and hints of dub step.  Mindless Self Indulgence might be another point of reference. The album flows really well and I can just leave it playing, this is always a good sign for me.

The opener "Mountain" has more of a bounce in it's step. The vocals remind me of St Vincent due to their quirky nature. It finds it's way into a groove as layers are added. "Castle" starts off with a little more unconventional chaos, but a minute in it morphs into something that grabs you with an almost hip hop beat. The continue to defy not only genres , but the rules of what electro pop should and should not sound like on "Thick / Clear". The sugary sweet vocals bob and weave between the beats. I would be hard pressed to refer to their sound as dark, but the shadows tend to color undertones they use. Lyrically the themes seem pretty loose, though on "Thick / Clear" the message seems to come across the clearest. 

"Depth Denyting" the fourth and final song has a very strong beat. While there is a more somber and melodic mood. The vocals dance around this in more of a chanted feel and are less sung. Once again defying any kind of sub-genre title. The mood brings Portishead to mind , but this is not acid jazz or trip-hop. In the songs last minute the pace picks up a more soulful melody develops. Overall this ep is great and while it fits into the bigger picture of what goth/ dark pop looks like in 2018, it doesn't feel the need to really conform. The fact I loaded it into my iPod is bigger compliment than me rounding it up to a 10.