In a sentence, I would describe Hey, Chels' debut album Everything Goes as a strangely familiar compilation of music that is just that little bit different and leaves you wanting more. Long sentence, I know, but it's difficult to put the ups and downs of this record into just that.

 

The four-piece indie-rock band from San Diego has transformed what we know as punk music and really changes it up, throwing some lo-fi beats and guitar progressions into the mix and creating something which could almost be described as a new genre of music. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

 

The record starts of super strong with Clear and the chill yet strong vocals of Jax Mendez take over, following the upbeat dance theme of the LP as the songs play. By the time you get to You've Got You Now, your ears are pulsing with the volume of the songs that had come before and you are rewarded with a refreshing lo-fi melody which is really catchy.

 

Okay serves up more catchy beats and relatable lyrics alongside some super reverby vocal effects and what I like to call the Hey, Chels signature drum drop before the second chorus; they do it in a few songs and I think its pretty unique and super effective. Then plays Everything Goes, which I would dub the dark and stormy track of the record with its rocky guitar progressions, before Floating Through Days comes in and delivers even more relatable lyrical content.

 

"I might just stay indoors, sleep away the whole day watching pointless TV." Yeah, same guys. The song is also one of the prettier upbeat songs, foreshadowing the next track on the album, Tough, which takes us back to the dancey upbeat style that Hey, Chels has aimed to deliver through this record.

 

I would have to say Tough is lyrically my favourite song with lyrics like, "I hear those bad days bring you down / Still haven't found where you've gotta be by now". It also serves up some super groovy guitar riffs at the end.

 

Then when you're feeling like you're ready to keep dancing, BAM. In comes Away and you're left with something unexpected that you didn’t know you needed to hear, but did. And it's the perfect way to wrap up the record.

 

Overall, I would describe Hey, Chels' sound to be similar to other indie-rock bands, but WAY more fun. The songs are perfectly ordered - remember to listen in order - and differs in melody yet sticks with the same theme, making it a coherent and complete album.

 

You can see the full track listing below and remember that Everything Goes is available on all major streaming services as well as FREE TO DOWNLOAD here.

 

Track listing:

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1. Clear

2. Crumbling

3. Masterpiece

4. Pulse Check

5. You've Got You Now*

6. Okay*

7. Everything Goes

8. Floating Through Days*

9. Tough*

10. Away*