Chemtrails

“ 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 ‘Join Our Death Cult’ on December 5th. Their new album The Joy Of Sects is out January 19th via PNKSLM. 

‘Join Our Death Cult’ is typical of Chemtrails’ sonic stew - weird ingredients are pulled from deep in the cupboard, yet concoct a surprisingly sweet outcome:  

“Each individual element of this song on its own is quite weird, but somehow they assemble together to make disgustingly poppy pop.”  

Thematically, they explain a tendency to apathy in the face of cartoonish corruption: 
 
“There are groups of powerful people in the world - you could call them death cults - who knowingly push us towards extinction for their own short-term gain, which is so evil it’s almost funny. The lyrics are essentially about that, as well  one of the other main themes of the album, which is how everyone feels the world is going to hell in a handcart, but in our day-to-day lives we just have to get on with it and don’t really have the time or energy to care.”  
 
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. 

The post-garage-punk and psychedelic power pop anomaly Chemtrails return with their upcoming third album – their boldest yet with a more danceable and rhythm-driven style, armed with their trademark fuzzy guitars and playfully sinister melodies. Working with producer Margo Broom (Fat White Family, Goat Girl) this time around, the group has traded in their DIY approach for a more hi-fi studio sound, remaining just as raw and wild as ever, but with a whole new level of focus and intensity.