The Chordaes – California (single)

The Chordaes – New single California 

There’s an annoying notion being floated around the mainstream music media these days that I’ve really become quite fed up with. It’s this idea that pop music that is, in a sense, anti-structure and pro-freeform design is automatically experimental and avant-garde, and thus totally unmarketable in the FM format. With so many indie artists are trying new things these days, this kind of thinking is completely counterproductive to the evolution of pop music, the way I see it. Electronica has spread into pop, where is the obligated structure there? Are we going to start only playing psychedelic rock from the 60’s after midnight on specialty radio? I think not.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/track/2XinXgaqsX3ko9bpWYWhH1?si=Sy4B0r4aS5GhHgRsbfcLjw

Bands like The Chordaes are a perfect example of artists who are capable of making freeform pop music that isn’t bound to the parameters of a specific genre without going so far into left field that non-music intellectuals are left out in the cold. Their new single “California” is a nimble but relaxed dream pop exercise that recalls shades of VietNam and The Shins with a taste of lyrical realism that is all their own. In some ways, it’s hard to see where this track begins and where it ends. In other ways, its spherical construction and tranquil beat make it subtle and muted, almost like something you could fit inside your pocket. Regardless of your perspective, this is thought provoking material.

The Chordaes are getting some well-deserved attention from international critics right now, but I’m a little surprised that American journalists haven’t picked up on their style thus far. It could be their obvious allegiance to the underground, which I believe is what makes their music as pure and clean sounding as it is. Or it could be that Europe and Asia have always been able to identify incredible, art-forward music before we have. That said, the added professional polish on “California” could very well be the song that changes the trajectory for this band.

“California,” much like the ocean shores of the state that it takes its name from, is dominated by a both emotional and sonic tide that rises and falls back in equilibrium throughout the song. When it feels like the band is warming up and about to lay something gigantic on us, they instantly pull back with hesitance, creating a bittersweet feeling in the song. That in turn is matched by the lyrics that describe finding California for the first time, as if seeing it over a horizon from a far distance back. We’re transported  to this place where our singer is describing the scenery to us, and for a second, we see it too.

Music that is this original and captivating is hard to categorize not because of its experimentalism, but because of its unique quality. I can’t file this under “alternative rock” because of the inferior company it would sit beside. Plain “indie pop” won’t do anymore because of the ego connotation that now comes standard with labeling anything “indie.” But The Chordaes don’t strike me as a band concerned with what critics or anyone else is going to call them. Based on “California,” I’d have to say that it sounds like all they really care about is making amazing, compelling music.

California Live Video shot at City Winery in NYC: https://youtu.be/BGLrJGT8yAA

Mindy McCall