Chew Lips - preview

With the industry stuffed with Justin Bieber types, you can imagine it must be hard for the more serious-minded music hack to not go overboard with the hyperbole when a genuine talent comes along.

But while this is exciting for the journo it can be a dangerous thing for the band with many a much-hyped name falling by the wayside when the next hottest group arrives fresh from some makeshift studio in Hackney. However, with some acts you hope they pull through and make it through the heady clouds of promotional puff; something that more than a few people are hoping will be the case with Chew Lips.

Off the back of just two singles, accolades began to come from the likes of Steve Lamacq who’d heard their demo tape and tipped them for greatness in 2009; and after just five gigs, they had management teams fighting to sign them when they still didn’t have that much to offer. But despite not having musical maturity, they did have front woman Tigs; with her cropped blonde hair and midriff tops, shy and retiring isn’t really in her repertoire. It’s not all style over substance; her voice carries over the music in such a commanding way that any comparison to the likes of La Roux don’t ring true.

Perhaps aware of the danger of being a buzz band and wary of how early hype can be a millstone around a group’s necks, Chew Lips sat back, cleaned up their sound and came out with something deserving of all the praise. The spare beats of previous releases ‘Salt Air’ and ‘Solo’ still reign but it’s a little less trashy, more unique, but no less good for a party. Track ‘Karen’ just makes you want to be with friends on a hot sunny day whilst ‘Playing Together’ is a stomper with Tigs’ voice leading the way over synthy guitars, provided by multi-instrumentalists James Watkins and Will Sanderson. It’s a formula that works—good solid melodies layered over bleepy beats. Let’s just hope enough music fans think so and not just the fair-weather music press.