Chartreuse 'Whippet'
Black Country Quartet Chartreuse continue to solidify their confident, textured synth-pop sound with the warmth and haunting elegance of new single ‘Whippet’
It’s been something of a musical exploration for Chartreuse this year. And if you’ve already heard of the Black Country quartet, you’d be correct in thinking that their distinct brand of glittering, soulful synth-pop is seemingly always the subject of continued evolution. The bones of this sonic commitment are clear even in their earliest releases, and from the band's beginnings they have weaved a tight blend of indie-rock, pop, soul, and R&B. Their sound is shimmering chambers of reverb heavy instrumentation, swirling melodies, strong production values, all resting on a bedrock of tender vocal performances from band members Hattie Wilson and chief songwriter Mike Wagstaff. If by chance this review is the first time you’re hearing the name Chartreuse, then no better time to become acquainted with their sound than right now.
Over the span of several months Chartreuse have released several singles which signpost their upcoming album ‘Morning Ritual’, scheduled for release on 10th November this year via Communion Music. And a little foray into their most recent output offers a glimpse into the sound to expect in the months to come. They hit the ground running with May release ‘Switch It On, Switch It Off’, a head-swayer of a track equal parts rich in a melancholy longing heard in its beautiful guitar and vocal performances, as well as a groovy, swinging propulsion courtesy of the drum and bass contributions. The outfit followed this with tandem releases ‘All Seeing All The Time’ and ‘Morning ‘Ritual’. In the former you have a tight and snappy indie-pop track that pushes Rory Wagstaff’s technical drumming abilities to the very front, alongside Mike Wagstaff’s haunting vocals and Perry Lovering’s beautiful keyboard compositions. In the latter, you have a heart-string heavy ballad, stripped back and resting confidently on the intense warmth of its piano, lead vocals and ethereal, reverb-washed backing vocals. In all three tracks you find the band engaged in a tender musical journey, as much uplifting as melancholy, groovy and relaxed in equal measure. It’s an intoxicating breath of musical capability.
Likewise with most recent single ‘Whippet’, this sound is even more pronounced. Hattie Wilson takes the reins on lead vocals here, with Mike taking the backing vocal position. If there’s anything to be said of this track, it's that it’s undoubtedly the band’s most haunting contribution. It moves seemingly at will between minimal beauty, mournful melancholy, and swirling soundscapes. It’s also arguably the most synth heavy track they’ve released in this batch of singles, and this lends to a sonic texture and emotional weight you just can’t find in other bands. Lyrically the track deals with that existential wonder over what one’s life plans are. Wilson conceived this over a pub conversation with a friend, who asked of Wilson these questions of settling down and consolidating a clear future. Her response in turn was one of bitterness over the questions posed, and a desire to escape these questions outright. The track reflects this haunted foreboding even in its first few lines. “Left like a whippet…” captures that desire to escape the conversation of future uncertainty, and shortly after you have “I could write lines of truth / I act proud but I’m hiding the noose” which glimpses Wilsons deliberations over pursuing her passion as a musician and songwriter, all while sheltering a persistent fear that pursuing this is at all the correct decision. It’s a weighty and relatable subject matter that dives right into that essential human desire to have certainty over life choices, passions pursued and the merit of those choices behind it.
Yet it’s not all existential melancholy here. The vocal subject matter stands in contrast to what is in fact a rich body of instrumentation. The vocals themselves, at time bolstered by backing work from Wagstaff, are held up against synth lines straight out of some heavenly space, piano that dances around steady, solid drumming and droning bass, all occasionally met with guitar performances that glide between glittering melodies and droning howls. In short, while the track maturely deals with the uncertainty of life on an existential level, it's also juxtaposed with the certainty of musical quality on offer here
Words by Harry Meenagh
