The Chats, Hot Chip, Hollywood Undead: New album reviews

A Queensland band take us back to the golden age of punk with their unmentionable latest album PLUS Hot Chip and Hollywood Undead.

Sunshine Coast punk rock band The Chats at Brisbane's Boggo Road Jail. Picture: Luke Henery

This week’s album reviews from The Courier-Mail (ratings out of five stars):

PUNK

The Chats, Get F****d

(Bargain Bin) ****

Are The Chats the most vital, authentic punk band to come out of South East Queensland since The Saints defined the genre 45 years ago? They certainly sound like it with their rapid-fire between-the-eyes delivery that recalls the golden age of British punk. Their lyrics are replete with local references too, from cruising down the Bruce Highway in their 6LTR GTR to the 30-second explosion Southport Superman and the Brisbane twist on AC/DC’s Jailbreak of Boggo Road. And they name-check numerous watering holes on I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane. There are the daily struggles of Paid Late and Ticket Inspector: “I love my job with a passion/Handing out fines like they’re going outta fashion.” And they bemoan the ever-increasing Price of Smokes with a menacing bassline and even more confronting lyrics, including: “I’ve got an urge to punch a c—- in the head.”

DANCE

Hot Chip, Freakout/Release

(Domino) ***1/2

For a band that doesn’t know the meaning of the word funky – they admit as much on this, their eighth studio album – Hot Chip certainly do it well. Since their 2019 effort they’ve endured lockdowns and loss, making this a darker entry to their canon, though still with ample dancefloor belters. Self-doubt and self-discovery are motifs. They get Down on the opening track, then joyously soar on optimistic ode Eleanor. “Music used to be escape/Now I can’t escape it,” singer Alexis Taylor laments on the hard-edged title track, with its vocoder refrain. Not Alone is a sweet affirmation for the anxious, while they examine the difference between being funky and in a funk in Hard to Be Funky (with guest vocals from Lou Hayter). Joe Goddard takes the lead on the autotuned Miss the Bliss, then there are the choral harmonies and guest rap from Cadence Weapon on the Tears For Fears-esque Evil That Men Do. “I can read your star sign but I can’t read your face,” Taylor sings on Guilty. And they save one of the best for last, the building, pulsing, harmonic, self-affirming Out of My Depth. Despite the introspective turn, Hot Chip are not breaking much new ground, but nor are they stagnating.

ALTERNATIVE

Hollywood Undead, Hotel Kalifornia

(BMG) ***

You could call them the Eagles of nu-metal. But while Hollywood Undead borrow a line from the country rock legends for the homonymic Lion Eyes – and, of course, the album title – that’s where the similarities end. Apocalyptic themes predominate, and tracks like opener CHAOS and Alright recall Fall Out Boy, while World War Me chronicles the battle within. And if Eminem was lead singer of Rage Against the Machine you’d have standout track Dangerous. There’s the dancefloor vibe of Ruin My Life, while on the punkish Hourglass they exalt: “Lost boys never die!” For those who like a dash of rap with their metal, Hollywood Undead are keeping the dream alive: “Like a real rock star, I’m a real Trap God!”

Originally published as The Chats, Hot Chip, Hollywood Undead: New album reviews