CTRL. ALT. GLAM. should be the keyboard shortcut to Chores’s latest album, Tender as a Wound, which was released on Oct. 25 and showcases the supportive, yet audacious musicianship of trio Jenn Wameling (guitar/backing vocals), Ian Egling (bass/synth/lead vocals) and Scar Markham (drums/percussion/vocals).
With an easy nodding ode in “Here Again,” tugs of sweet nowness get tempered by sour realities within this riffy album opener. Producer Ben Morey’s empathic, raucous production lenses provide an unfettered serving of Chores album-long. Making a Britpop entrance, “On the Floor” rises in the chorus, examining both sides of tender, with Wameling’s groovy and mathy guitar work excelling at the seams: I can be tender / Tender as a wound / Hold it together / Until the suture comes unglued.
“Clip on Tie” shines light on a quick-fix culture, considering the real cost to keep climbing even as “Trip Wire” pokes fun at a desire to be irresponsible: What if I could set it somewhere on the kitchen table / And forget it as I rush out / Like I do with my keys? Egling’s melodic bass playing dances with his vocal delivery on this softer offering.
Days of television lip-sync are questioned in “Sky Blue,” as an observation gets cranking and more interested, troubled minds are missed amidst colorful swirls, vocal shrieks and throbbing percussion from Markham. “If I’m Being Haunted” reckons the reality of a living memory, the loss of remembered harmony sung and who benefits from the continued closeness: You used to be a phone call away / Now you are a ghost / But if I’m being haunted / I’m happy we’re still close.
Driving for innocence with encore pomp, “Drove By Your Home” moves on, with a therapeutic ramble past a now-sold house, to a conclusive recitation: You used to be a really good friend of mine / And the way you left just wasn’t right.
Ryan Yarmel is a CITY contributor. Feedback on this article can be directed to Patrick Hosken at patrick@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2024.
