At last, one of the most anticipated releases that we’ve been waiting for is finally here!!! And holy hell was it worth the wait. DC’s dark rockers, The Chance, are releasing their 6 track EP New York City Girls on Aug 24th, and we’ve got an advance copy and are very very stoked to share our thoughts on this album we’ve been hearing about since late 2010. As a duo, guitarist/singer Joshua Padgett (bass on album as well) and drummer Viraj DeSilva worked in NYC with famed producer Chuck Brody (Phantogram, Yoko Ono) and mastered by Sarah Register (Sonic Youth, David Bowie) to create what is one of the best indie rock EPs of the year.
Kicking off the record is the dance anthem and first single "The Abyss of Love" recently heard at a 9:30 Club DJ session (word!) that easily gets your ass off the bar stool. (You can hear it below.) The first jolt of drums has an 80’s "kick your feet now!" flair before a tinge of high guitar notes float in causing an instant bob of the head. Before you know it, your eyes are closed and your doing the ‘Molly Ringwald ala Breakfast Club’ while Padgett chants "Can our souls blend for all time? I need you, to save me from myself. Hold me close." A new movement of dark dance rock is sure to emerge based on this track alone. And it sets the pace for the rest of the stellar EP.
Next is the title track "New York City Girls" which is about chicks living the dream in said city. It’s their poppiest track to date that seems ready for airplay on the soundtrack to Gossip Girl, or something equally awesome. Padgett reaches new heights of falsetto impressively before delving into that clean Ian Curtis roar he has been compared to in the past. The guitars swirl in layered loops of lush while DeSilva brings you back to reality with bursts of cymbals.
Every track has its own edge that induce the need to listen over and over again. "Forever" gets intense with layered guitars, "Into the Night" features a chorus in Spanish, and the ballad "Lapdance in Heaven" has a creepy edge of Suicide-like percussion echoes. Padgett sings a depressing tale about a lonely man in pergatory with the faint memory of obsessive love for a stripper before bursting into the guitar solo of the century that is up there with C.C. DeVille baby! And closing out the record is another smash of dark dance rock with a fast paced/steady beat and impressive guitar licks in "You Are My Dream" which ultimately makes us want more, dammit! LP LP LP!!!
The recording duo will be in full band mode including Christian Baldo on bass and Steve Scarlata on guitar for the official CD release party. Be sure to get your ass to the Black Cat on Wednesday August 24th where they will be joined by the spectacular Janel and Anthony. $10 8 PM. And now, … the abyss of love!!! -Dawn The Abyss of Love by The Chance (DC)