Album Review: Chaos Kids - 'Chaos Kids'

28 May 2011 | 2:23 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Angry girl Garage Rock.

Melbourne duo Chaos Kids consists of Nellie Jackson and Etta Curry and their brand of drum and guitar driven, dual vocalised, garage rock. Their debut self titled release is a four track 7-inch which delivers their music in a raw an honest way, kind of like they are just playing in the room for you, no studio trickery just the girls and their instruments served up in the well-suited vinyl format.

Opening track My Mind, gives you everything you can pretty much expect from Chaos Kids, fairly straight-forward power chord rock with driving drum patterns and down to earth lyrical content. The standout feature of the duo are their duelling vocals which sometimes harmonise with each other and at other points just form one solid sound.

Second song Boyfriend, contains some essentially lame lyrics but is redeemed by its melody lines and the opposing vocal section at the end which is one of the finer moments of the whole EP. The “too many beers” chants in the chorus however are not delivered with enough conviction and ultimately ruin the song.

The first track on the b-side is In The Bed, the stand out of the four songs, as it features an up tempo beat and bright guitars lines, but mainly due to the fact that the girls exhibit their finest vocal harmonies and melodies. The EP ends with I Love You, which has a Spiderbait vibe in the higher pitched vocals and fast paced tempo.

Four songs are easy to digest and this is a fun EP however I fear that a full length release from Chaos Kids would be draining if they stuck to the same formula. The vocals and melody lines are the clear highlight but the lyrical content and musicianship lacks a certain amount of maturity which, whether intended or not, probably won't stand up against today's musical climate. Still it is early days.

1. My Mind

2. Boyfriend

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3. In The Bed

4. I Love You