Review → Iron Chic – Not Like This (2010)
Iron Chic - Not Like This
Alright, I know I’ve been off the grid- blog-wise, anyway- for a while, but let’s get back into this. And what better way to kick this scene back into gear than with the just-released debut LP from the hyped Iron Chic! The band posted the record to their bandcamp page very recently, a free download if that’s your scene. (link at the end of the post) So let’s get to it.
As you may or may not know, Iron Chic is a Long Island-based band with members from such acts as Latterman (ah, the ever-expanding Latterman family tree is rivaling the Slapstick family tree at this point) and perhaps more obviously, Small Arms Dealer. On first listen, the Small Arms Dealer relation was most apparent, probably because the bands share a vocalist. That’ll do that, huh?
The band starts out with the building, poppy “Cutesy Monster Man,” which musically definitely reminds one of the opening to Latterman’s “Doom! Doom! Doom!” but more drawn out. “Time Keeps on Slipping Into the Future” is not the Steve Miller Band tribute I might have hoped from the title, but it’s pretty awesome nonetheless. The songs here often come across as very clear extensions of the members’ most notable previous bands, which thankfully come together pretty appealingly.
One kind of odd note that I’m glad to have been backed up on, and I noticed in the demo version of the song as well, the opening to the song “In One Ear” musically sounds a whole hell of a lot like “Lose Your Illusion 1″ by the Lawrence Arms. I don’t know if that’s an intentional reference or what, but yeah, it’s really, really apparent.
Honestly, there’s not a lot of musical variety here; the guys don’t slow things down except for the odd intro (“Timecop”) or bridge, but that’s ok. It’s driving, fun, and catchy. Fans of Latterman or Small Arms Dealer will definitely be pleased with this (more so the former than the latter, perhaps). I hope this band sticks around, because this album indicates good things to come from these guys.
If you’re interested, you can stream or download the record here. Get into it!
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