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The Chemistry
Self-Titled
2005, Razor & Tie
The Chemistry‘s bio (I would say ‘one-sheet‘, but Razor & Tie saw fit to ship up an entire file folder stuffed with paperwork) makes note of the fact that when bassist Jared Valencia was eleven, he went out and bought himself some Green Day(Dookie) and MxPx(presumably Life In General, maybe even the earlier Tooth & Nail Records stuff), and all the Epitaph Records bands, and all the Fat Wreck Chords bands. That would make assuming The Chemistry is another straight-up pop-punk band a logical step, but instead the SoCal quintet have chosen to tread a well-worn path that veers wildly through pop-punk, yes, but also Taking Back Sunday-ish screamo-lite, ‘90s alternative rock(there‘s a reason for that; we‘ll get to it later) and radio-friendly material, with mixed results.
See, here‘s the thing with this band: there‘s been no shortage of praise - New Found Glory bassist Ian Grushka has mentioned that he loves them, they‘ve toured with the likes of Yellowcard, Anberlin, and The Used; their album was produced at The Plant, a well-known studio in Sausalito, CA…it‘s just that there‘s something missing, that intangible ‘it‘ that I‘ve referred to for years in discussing musicians and albums. This record starts out well; openers ‘From Within‘ and ‘About You‘ are good slices of pop/rock with an edge that gets me thinking, "These kids have got something here"; the beats are driving, everything‘s moving well, but it doesn‘t quite last. ‘Deja Vous‘, ‘Hopeless‘ and ‘She Takes You‘ are too reminiscent of Third Eye Blind – and that makes sense, since the Chemistry idolize the ‘Semi-Charmed Life‘ tunesmiths, and 3EB guitarist Kevin Cadogan produced this album. He did a good job, but I wish The Chemistry had gone with more of a Green Day influence, rather than the awkward So ‘90s songs here. There‘s some unnecessary screaming here and there, and the lead vocals simply aren‘t on a lot of the time – sounding very much like Good Charlotte‘s Joel Madden, which is not something that will endear any band to me.
Aside from those complaints, this record is a solid start. The Chemistry do know how to write a good rock song, with lyrics from their hearts, using varied tempos and putting the instruments in the proper place(the guitars sound amazing, thanks to Cadogan). For a band that started out as more of a hardcore type, touring with the likes of Zao, Beloved and This Day Forward, they‘ve certainly transitioned over to radio-friendly anthems well. With the push they‘re getting from their label and the internet buzz rising, expect big things.
Copyright 2005