Chapel Club’s 2011 debut was abundant with crashing percussion and indie, electronic guitars. Whilst this proved to be a reasonably successful sound, ‘Shy’ shows that the five-some have diverted away from this genre in order to create a more pop-orientated record.
Staccato keys and light synths accompany lead singer Lewis Bowman’s much more mellow and melodic voice. The bouncy and rhythmic tune is summery and appealing but this is not a theme which is displayed in the lyrics, singing about losing confidence and not achieving success; “our dreams it seems are silly things, simplistic and kind of cynical.”
The band split with their label, Polydor, last year which may be linked to the re-invention of Chapel Club, and the sound being channelled in ‘Shy’ (and apparently throughout all of their new album Good Together). There have already been some mixed feelings amongst fans of Palace about ‘Shy’ and this new synth-pop direction, but it has also been argued that this music will garner more commercial success, and draw a greater audience. However, will this be at the expense of their original fans?
Ignoring their debut record, this is a likeable track. It’s not the cutting-edge track which Chapel Club should have produced but it is a fair effort. Perhaps the album will showcase a more intimate and catchy sound when it is released in June.
5/10
1 Comment
It’s rubbish innit? The whole album is poor.