Chastity Belt – ‘Live Laugh Love’ album review: From gloom to gradual acceptance
THE SKINNY: If you live by the words “live, laugh, love”, you may think that this album is for you. It’s probably not. Rather than adhering to the joy espoused in its title, the fifth full-length offering from Chastity Belt delves head-first into indifference and depression. Though it sometimes seems that they might never find their way out of it, the album does land upon some kind of reluctant acceptance by the end of its runtime.
For the first half of Live Laugh Love, Chastity Belt are decidedly not living, laughing, or loving. Instead, they’re avoiding social events and shrugging off devastating declarations with shocking indifference. Their instrumentation matches this energy, as fuzzy guitars and detached vocal delivery only enhance those themes.
Their track titles serve quite the opposite purpose, with light-hearted adjectives like ‘Funny’ and ‘Kool-Aid’ lulling listeners into a false sense of security. With the arrival of ‘Blue’, their song names seem set to reflect the monotony and melancholy of their words, but Chastity Belt seem committed to the art of juxtaposition, right down to the syncopation in their tracks.
The album takes a turn as Chastity Belt find hope in internet detoxes and bike rides across the I-90 bridge. True to life, there’s no sudden moment of realisation on the record, just as there is no instant cure for depression, but there is a growing acceptance and reclamation of control. There’s a gradual movement towards the simplicity of living, laughing and loving.
For fans of: Ironic “live laugh love” decals, inflatables outside of car dealerships, and reluctant yoga classes.
A concluding comment from Elle’s work-from-home buddy: “I, too, flit between living, laughing, loving, and asking myself, ‘What’s the point of anything?’ ’I feel seen’ springs to mind.”
Live Laugh Love track-by-track:
Release date: March 29 | Label: Suicide Squeeze Records
‘Hollow’: With easy-going percussion and shrugged vocals, ‘Hollow’ is a solid album opener, but it’s entirely elevated by the music video Nick Shively directed to accompany it. Borrowing from the culture that worships the album’s titular phrase, it follows Chastity Belt through skincare routines and yoga sessions. It’s at odds with their sound but lives up to their words about wasting time. [3/5]
‘Funny’: The lyrics to ‘Funny’ couldn’t be much further away from their title. “If I’m being honest lately, I’m not feeling great,” the vocalist begins, her delivery as dejected as her words. There’s a brief moment of respite as she finds her head up in the clouds, shoegazey guitars surrounding her, but it doesn’t last long. [3/5]
‘Clumsy’: Chastity Belt stumble through the chaos of love on ‘Clumsy’, with melodies that seem to call back to the master of melancholy himself, Elliott Smith. Even as they’re charting guilt and avoidance, their slacker style shines through. “It’s kind of tragic,” they admit, “but it’s fine, I don’t mind.” A break-up song for the non-confrontational. [3/5]
‘It’s Cool’: By the time Chastity Belt ask themselves, “What’s the point of anything if I always feel the same?” on ‘It’s Cool’, it’s clear that Live Laugh Love isn’t quite going to live up to the light-hearted joy of its title. Still, over driving guitars and growing percussion, they conclude that living, and perhaps laughing and loving, is “worth the pain.” [3.5/5]
‘Kool-Aid’: With Kool-Aid coursing through their veins, Chastity Belt long for a little more as Live Laugh Love approaches its midpoint. Their fuzzy guitars and subdued vocals have grown familiar, and so too have their declarations of dissatisfaction. [3/5]
‘Chemtrails’: Whirring guitars continue into ‘Chemtrails’, an honest distillation of depression. “I always say yes, but when it comes around, I don’t want to leave my house,” the singer shares candidly, always delivering words of devastation with passivity. Somehow, it makes them all the more impactful. [3/5]
‘Blue’: As Chastity Belt’s song titles seem to move towards more accurately reflecting their content, the mood begins to lift. ‘Blue’ is the least blue track on the record so far, as the singer begins to adopt coping mechanisms like faking it and getting off the internet. “Man, it feels good to be alive,” she sings, affording us a moment of respite. [3.5/5]
‘Tethered’: Vocals melt into twangs and fuzz on ‘Tethered’ in a gorgeous soundscape that could have easily spawned from the 1990s alternative scene. As the song reaches its climax, exquisitely layered vocals provide one of the record’s most interesting moments instrumentally. [4/5]
‘I-90 Bridge’: ‘I-90 Bridge’ is even twangier than its predecessor, a sure sign that Chastity Belt are well on their way to living, laughing and loving. There’s a more light-hearted tone to their vocals, too, comparing bike rides across the I-90 to flying. [4/5]
‘Laugh’: As the words “I wanted it to last, but it’s all in my head” fade into playful percussion and plucking, they seem more hopeful than melancholic. It feels more like a reclamation of control or a happy relinquishment of it than any kind of remission. [4/5]
‘Like That’: Chastity Belt aren’t quite living, laughing or loving by the time the record reaches its runtime, but they’re certainly more peaceful than when it began. “I’m the one who’s holding me back,” they harmonise in the final moments, full of melancholia and acceptance all at once. [3.5/5]
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