Chastity Belt Exhibits Self-Awareness on New Album ‘Live, Laugh, Love’, Moving Listeners to Think and Feel
Credit: Frank Correa
In 2010 the 4 piece alternative indie pop rock band “Chastity Belt” was formed in Walla Walla, Washington consisting of Julia Shapiro, Lydia Lund, Annie Truscott, and Gretchen Grimm. The band’s witty, thought provoking, feminist approach to music confronts and challenges feminine stereotypes and patriarchal tradition in a semi-satirical manner that exposes and points out the idiocy/stupidity of society's rigid, out-dated gender roles, standards and expectations. Over a decade deep into the band’s existence it has become apparent that they have found a way to successfully maneuver and navigate the modern music industry, doing it their own way without having to compromise their artistic vision or take themselves too seriously. Chastity Belt’s new album “Live, Laugh, Love” is a testament to the idea that music can be fun and enjoyable while still exhibiting intelligent self-awareness, as well as the ability to honestly express emotions that move the listener to think and feel.
When the time came to create this new record the band reunited with engineer Samur Khouja who also recorded the self-titled record they put out in 2019. Once the project was finished being recorded, they also re-connected with acclaimed engineer Heba Kadry who mastered the album and is known for working with acts such as Bjork and Slowdive. Chastity Belt likes to keep the creative process fresh with little to no creative boundaries involved, as they work together writing the tracks, as well as at times swapping instruments. Plus, for the very first time on this record, all four members sing a song. “We’ve been playing music with each other for over a decade,” says Julia Shapiro, “so it really does feel like we’re all fluent in the same language, and a lot of it just happens naturally.” “We have such a strong sense of each other’s musical inclinations” says Lydia Lund. “I think this allows for a lot of playfulness…we can kinda surprise each other, like a good punchline would.”
With Live, Laugh, Love being their 5th album it’s clear that the band just keeps getting better and better collectively mainly due to them always allowing room for growth and progression, enabling them to consistently expand their artistic vision and sound over time. The album starts off with the song “Hollow” that contains a soft, slow tempo and melancholy guitar melodies that instill nostalgia and a certain sort of reminiscence. Julia Shapiro’s vocals are mellow yet comforting and cozy as she dwells on doubt and disorientation. This track touches on the idea of wasted time as well as dissociation regarding the way often many of us tend to feel real as we move through life. “Funny” has a spacey, atmospheric vibe and long drawn-out vocals on the chorus. The lyrics touch on how your ego can bring you down as well as the very common human experience of people making mistakes and facing regret. These feelings are portrayed and exemplified as vulnerable and honestly as possible.
“Clumsy” starts out with an acoustic foundation all by itself and then quickly breaks out into a gentle, passionate, rock instrumental that feels similar to something Elliott Smith maybe would have made if he were still alive. It tackles guilt, avoidance, and a sense of doom as well as grief and loss. It depicts a situation where one feels okay and fine with tragedy occurring in a situation where two people think they know each other but really don’t. The fourth song on this record and one of my personal favorites: “It’s Cool” has a really catchy guitar riff that has a hint of midwest emo carved into it. The writing on “It’s Cool” has a nihilistic outlook asking “What’s the point of anything if I always feel the same?”. It describes chasing a fading feeling and the notion that no matter what you say it’s not that devastating and it’ll be okay and fine regardless of what ends up happening in the end.
“Kool-Aid” has grungy guitar playing and rich, psychedelic, undertones with words that use a lot of impactful imagery depicting staring into a mirror with a knife that needs to be cleaned off and thoughts of surrendering to the feelings that live within us all. Track 6 “Chemtrails”, which was the 3rd single off the album, has a very interesting drum pattern that stood out to me as it sounds a bit off kilter with its delayed syncopation that isn’t off putting, but actually compliments the rest of the instrumental very well. There are interesting sonic choices all over this record like in the following song “Blue” that has trippy synths and a really neat progression, with a build up leading to the final hook. The song is another stand-out on this project to me with another wavey, strong, chorus that extends nicely while the verses discuss normalcy feeling bad and how being alive feels good but at any point in time it could all unfortunately come to an end.
“Tethered” has a dark backdrop with a hard hitting snare and some really gorgeous, emotional, guitar tones with rhythms that vary and change and adjust as the song plays through. “Tethered” asks questions like “what does it really mean to be good?” and displays pure honesty in a fragile, sensitive manner. As the last few songs on the album approach the imagery within the lyric content really starts to shine and take the forefront. Track 9 “I-90 Bridge” expresses conflict, “my mind’s set, my body’s a different story”. It also depicts riding bikes across the I-90 Bridge in Seattle and how it feels like flying as flashing headlights wave and reflect the sun. There is also a portrayal of a relationship that seems to have hit a stand-still describing one not having the capacity to consider someone else’s feelings.
Live, Laugh, Love concludes with the track “Like That” which ties everything together quite well, but also feels like a very bittersweet ending. Lyrics like “I’m the one that’s holding me back” and “I don't know why I never called you back” reinforce the confliction felt constantly throughout this album. When we reflect on the past and the way things conclude regarding relationships, friendships, and situationships we can often notice and pick out a variety of reasons or examples of why our behaviour and actions led to things playing out how they did. Some things we do have answers for and some things we just don't. The more I listen to this record the more I enjoy it and connect with it. I greatly appreciate the authenticity and vulnerability displayed in these songs. I love how this record plays front to back. Everything flows nicely; nothing feels abrupt, and there are ups and downs and highs and lows all over this thing. It seems as if there is a battle going on between nihilism and optimism, which is relevant to most people. This resonates deeply with me as oh so frequently I too feel as if my mind shifts from negative to positive and back and forth. This record is chill, laid back, and an emotional rollercoaster. It is perfect for a night drive in summer with the windows down recollecting memories, simpler times, lost love and more.
Favorite songs : funny, blue, i-90 bridge
Live Tour Dates:
April 4 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
April 5 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Arts #
April 6 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk #
April 8 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf #
April 9 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole #
April 10 - San Diego, CA @ Quartyard #
April 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram
April 13 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent #
April 16 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom #
April 17 - Vancouver, BC @ Fox Theater # (sold out)
April 18 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile #
April 19 - Olympia, WA @ Capital Theater #
May 3 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy *
May 4 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
May 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church *
May 7 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw *
May 8 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
May 9 - Albany, NY @ Lark Hall *
May 10 - Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall *
May 11 - Detroit, MI @ El Club *
May 12 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
May 29 - Vienna, AT @ Arena ^
May 30 - Leipzig, DE @ Conne Island ^
May 31 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz ^
June 1 - Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival
June 3 - Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn ^
June 4 - Luxembourg, LUX @ Rotondes ^
June 5 - Paris, FR @ La Flèche D'Or ^
June 6 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
June 7 - Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
June 8 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin ^
June 9 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ^
June 11 - Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 ^
June 12 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute ^
June 13 - Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew ^
June 14 - London, UK @ Village Underground ^