Chemtrails

"fusing Pixies, The B-52s, Blondie and riot grrl models, all bubblegum hooks, boomerang-ing guitars, and helium vocals" MOJO **** 

"a fusion of The B-52s and ESG dipped in swamp-psych" UNCUT 7* 
 
“For an eclectic overdrive with hooks steadfast enough to weather the apocalypse itself, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone doing it finer” The Line of Best Fit 
 
“Their dishevelled dream-pop has us in raptures” CLASH 
 
“It’s what you’d want to hear at the last house-party of the apocalypse” KEXP 

Manchester psychedelic post-garage-punk outfit Chemtrails release new single ‘Bang Bang’ today (January 9th). Their new album The Joy Of Sects is out January 19th via PNKSLM. 

‘Bang Bang’ highlights Chemtrails’ delight in holding the mirror up to our absurd world, and taking down its darker and unjust elements with satire, whimsy, and sarcasm, via rickety punk. As they explain: 

“We wanted to write a kind of Kinks-style song from the point of view of a bragging crypto bro, bigging themselves up and flaunting their piles of cash. It’s fun singing lyrics that stand against everything you believe in. The plot twist at the end is that the protagonist reveals all the hype was a lie, and they actually have nothing at all, but still believe that they’re “going to the moon” eventually.” 

The Joy Of Sects presents a unique view of humanity as seen through the eyes of romantic partners Mia Lust and Laura Orlova, the band’s oddball founders — backed by Ian Kane and Liam Steers, who make up the turbocharged rhythm section. Sashaying between sleazy punk, frantic krautrock and sardonically sassy grooves, Chemtrails write weird but catchy pop songs with lyrics that tackle alienation, the absurd, the human condition, the impending apocalypse and, occasionally, Mia Lust’s place in the world as a transgender woman.  

The album is an accessible and playful psych-punk exploration of the state of the modern world as it lurches from crisis to crisis, stumbling dangerously close to an apocalyptic end. The heavy and often dark subject material is offset by the irreverent tone and gallows-humour of the lyrics — a combination of light and dark reflected in the melodies and harmonies of the songs, which pivot between joyful pop and ominous foreboding throughout the record. 
 
For this record they've traded in their traditional DIY approach to recording to work with in-demand producer Margo Broom, whose studio magic is responsible for Fat White Family, Big Joanie and Goat Girl records. 

The group’s fuzzy, tongue-in-cheek vignettes - inspired by Pixies, Blondie, Oh Sees, Fat White Family, and 60s psych -  have earned them a cult following over the years. This has lead to support from Stereogum, The Line of Best Fit, CLASH, DIY and BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 and KEXP. 

On the live side the band’s visceral show has been noticed by established acts like Dream Wife and Big Joanie who personally invited them on as support for their Manchester shows.