The Chalets - Check In

When I was first introduced to The Chalets it was to their profanity filled ‘Love Punch’ and let’s just say it didn’t set my expectations high. It’s not that I’ve got anything against swearing, definitely not, but in such excess was just too much. But knowing full-well how misleading first impressions can be, I went out and got their album anyway. The Chalets are two girls, two boys and a drummer (their own joke) from Dublin, who formed because it sounded like fun. But lucky for them, they possess a number of distinctive qualities that has allowed them to become successful. Firstly is the intensity of their music. It is loud, fast paced and in your face, guaranteed to get anyone’s attention. Secondly is the boy/girl interaction. In most songs they are playing off each other, often maliciously, creating quite an impressive effect. Thirdly are the highly polished vocals. Pretty much all their singing is done in harmonies, either with multiple singers or layering and it adds incredible depth and a nice crispness to everything they do. Finally is their image. Not content with standard Irish fashion, these guys dress in all sorts of colourful and outrageous outfits, which as you can imagine has definitely got them noticed around town. When you add to this lyrics that range from intelligent social commentaries to pure absurdity, you have one….interesting…band.

Two Chord Song – Clearly a parody of their own questionable formation, this song is short, sweet and incredibly addictive. It’s a perfect introduction to their music.

Checkout - What a struggle it was to pick a song here. There were about 8 contenders, each highlighting a different aspect of their music. I picked this mostly because I was sick of choosing, plus it’s a good song