The influence of early 2000s British indie-rock acts like the Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks, and the Wombats can be heard clearly throughout Chutney’s self-titled EP. The roughened vocals and guitar-driven melodies are dripping in nostalgia. But when it sounds this good, it’s hard to get too critical.
With just five songs, Chutney keep things short and snappy. Opening track “Consolation Prize” is a mid-tempo charmer that eases us into the recording. It gives us a great taste of what Chutney are all about before they pick up the pace with “Genie’s Lamp.” It might sing about a relationship that’s “far away from love,” but I found the relaxed earnest pleas of “Sleep With Me” irresistible. “Outcast” is a bold floor-filler that makes me crave live gigs even more. I can just imagine how this would go off in some sweaty pub. Chutney hails from the Gold Coast, but the EP ends with an ode to South Australia’s capital. “Adelaide” is a fairly gentle outro, the sort of track that might play as the party winds down.
Chutney might not be able to leave the Sunshine State, but they’re organising some local gigs until those borders open up. Home state fans can catch them with Selfish Sons at Vinnie’s Dive on September 26.
Image used with permission from the A&R Department