Irish indie band Chimpanbee have released their debut album ‘Can’t Stop or Rewind’. Chimpanbee formed in 2010 from the ashes of a grunge rock band called The Creaks. In 2010 the band released an E.P entitled the “The Pressures of Free Money” which was free to download. With 25,000 friends on myspace the E.P found many ears and some decent airplay which was followed by a brief venture to London and some popular local shows. The band were then discovered by Alex Jones of Ruby Music and subsequently signed a deal. After some extensive and fervent recording session’s the album was nearly finished and a highly anticipated release was on the horizon , but unfortunately tensions frayed as they do and the young ensemble split in 2012. This left the album incomplete and seemingly to go to waste. But in 2017 the album re-surfaced and Chimpanbee were revived in the process. The band added a new lead guitar player by the name of Alan Stacy, a bluesy, soulful and gifted professional to compliment the rough and ready haphazard style Chimpanbee had crafted.
‘Can’t Stop or Rewind’ ignites an instant rush of excitement within the listener with its rich luscious sounds and genre bending refinement. From that snappy whack of opening track ‘Sleep in Your Bed’ Chimpanbee introduce their fun infectious sound with groove mingled rhythms wiggling beneath an infectious vibrant melody and slick guitar flourishes. This foot tapping swagger soaked style continues throughout the album ‘Fell In Love’s ethereal guitars and sparkling keys soar over a dreamy coated melody. The energy in these hyped up energetic tunes keeps the album tipping away at a lively enjoyable pace as Chimpanbee flesh out their tunes and compact finely layered sound. The slow burners hone in on their exquisite musicianship. ‘Light It Up’ begins sweet broody and delicate with lush backing vocals cooing behind twinkling guitars and velvety passionate vocals. They begin the track gentle, tender and emotionally dreamy. When those lyrics hit you they relate to that poor sod who we have all been at one time or another however, the track builds becoming more bad ass and hefty developing into a fiery rock heavy anthem. Punchy drums ,striking guitars and distortion make for a cinematic wallop that fights back the timid beginning. With a sing along bridge this track is one for massive live shows. You can imagine the crowd swaying, moshing and bellowing back the lyrics. This song alone gives a sublime glimpse into the magnificent capability of this band. The sprinkling of sun kissed vibes through ‘Tokyo’ adds a peppy buoyancy to the album with golden light guitar strides between sprightly drums and glistening keys. The catchy sing along choruses are plentiful and are a fundamental element in each and every glorious track. ‘Snaaakes’ gives us a mysterious fairy like tone to the album with rumbly percussion flickering underneath magical soundscapes. It’s the tune that sparks images of little Celtic fairies dancing on midsummer’s night as magical blue and gold lights twinkle about, floating in the air like fireflies. The dark undertones add a sublime mystifying quality to this indie folk number. Darkly coated and eerie ‘Systems Failed’ has a thick heavy chorus of crashing guitars and meaty drums while ‘No Lies’ has a vibrant animated bounce. Each track holds its own identity within the album and brings a delicious new dimension and layer to sink your teeth into. Title track ‘Can’t Stop or Rewind’ closes the album with delicate elegant piano and a steady beat holding a strong foundation for the sweet vocals and sombre drenched melody to glide off. This track is laced in lonely melancholic tones and the piano playfully weaves a beautiful melody like its dancing and swaying in sweet lamenting solitude. It’s a tear jerking melody that floats into your head until you are humming this bitter/sweet tune. The whistle feature adds a charming quality as that piano melody becomes the main focal point of the song I found myself lost in its beautiful majestic tone leaving everything else in the track in the faint distance.
‘Can’t Stop or Rewind is a charming and captivating experience. From the start to the end of the album you feel like you have experienced a multitude of emotions traveling through journeys of happiness, joy and grief all while bewitched within Chimpanbee’s musicianship.
About the album the band said “Can’t Stop or Rewind is an album that takes you on a journey from an alcohol and drug fueled one night stand right through to falling in love , developing unhealthy attachments and dependencies until it all finally winds up in full destructive mode and ultimately a bitter end. An elementary tale performed as though the world ends tomorrow, it aggressively captures the intensity and mystique of meeting the real world for the first time”.
Stream ‘Can’t Stop or Rewind’ below
