London's Chemtrails continue to push the envelope with their unique blend of indie-pop and glam rock. The band's newest EP, Cuckoo Spit, will be out this Friday via PNKSLM, and it is a remarkable release, as one might expect from this group and this label.
While the title cut climbs an ascending figure like that found on some of the band's best, earlier numbers, "Born In Its Image" expands the Chemtrails sonic palette with subtle additions to the group's approach. The tambourine and percussion hark back to singles from the C86 boom, even as the main hook treads a path somewhere between Love and Rockets and early Blondie. It's aces, really. Elsewhere, "Vultures" surges with purpose, while the nicely-titled "Tedium's Jaws" marries a nearly Queen-like sense of guitar-rock with a very cool vocal turn from leader Mia Lust. As Laura Orlova cranks out the big guitar riff alongside Mia's performance, a fan of this band is rewarded with a song that soars like so many of the best Chemtrails songs soar, even as bits and pieces in this one suggest a richer mix of influences creeping into the group's music. Cuckoo Spit ends with the more languid "Pink Fog", an appealing mix of Syd and Bolan over a more expansive melody.
In the space of just a few years Chemtrails have managed to emerge with a truly distinct sound. And Cuckoo Spit certainly rewards those of us who've been following this PNKSLM act from the start. You might be able to hear things here on this latest EP from Chemtrails that seem familiar, hints of past gems from the popular genres of the Seventies and Eighties, but so much of this music is so richly unique that it still surprises.
Cuckoo Spit is out on Friday via PNKSLM.
More details on Chemtrails via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Uncredited band photo from band's Facebook page]