SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHASTITY BELT – ALL MY FRIENDS

CHASTITY BELT
ALL MY FRIENDS
SUICIDE SQUEEZE RECORDS

Indie rock group Chastity Belt surprises us with an early holiday gift: All My Friends. Harmonizing together since 2010, this alternative quartet of besties builds a record inspired by their years-long adventure as a band.

First comes “Friends for This,” a contemplative companionship piece that starts and ends with a raw, calming batch of guitar strums. The chorus flows with Lydia Lund’s airy lilt as she sings about sleepovers and honesty, and the lyrics in the bridge and ending blend into echoes, making the words more impactful and real.

Further into the record, “Designs,” “Be Kind,” and “Pavement” experiment with key variation. After Gretchen Grimm’s heartbeat-like, three-second drum solo in “Designs,” lead singer Julia Shapiro and Lund’s guitars ebb and flow throughout the song, sounding like twinkling stars toward the end, melting into one another in a single harmony. Even though there is less of this tonality exploration in the closings of “Be Kind” and “Pavement,” both pieces still have those seamless, rhythmic transitions that “Designs” possesses.

In “To Decide” and “I Could Say Less,” the raw, clear vocals and the intricate, fresh guitar strums inhale and exhale as one. However, Hunter Truscott showcases her methodical basslines in “Not Today,” giving the guitar notes a soulful boost.

For Chastity Belt fans who want the tempo cranked up a notch, “Talk About” starts with a shallow guitar and lightly sped-up drumbeats, slowing to a steady rhythm during the bridge before quickening the pace again.

Suddenly, the last three tracks in All My Friends take a turbulent turn, starting with “Trash,” a harsh piece about hurt feelings after a betrayal. On the other hand, “Hold My Own” calms the record down once again, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness after a friend disappoints you. Finally, the gratitude-filled “Live Laugh Love” wraps up the album with a minute-long guitar combo, Grimm’s drums, Shapiro’s reflective lyrics, and the closing sound of wind chimes.

All My Friends is like a mixtape you send to that special, platonic someone in your life. Overall, this album has a relaxing vibe that’s also brutally honest, which is a difficult combination to create in a song, let alone in a full list of tracks. As a result, the instrumentation and inflections rise and descend the same way a committed friendship experiences highs and lows.

So, for those who have a longtime bestie, this album is for you!

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