Stef Chura's new album isn't devoid of dark moments. In fact, of the 11 tracks included on Messes, eight would fit snugly on a breakup mixtape exhumed from the '90s. Think DGC Rarities Vol. 1's moodier tracks and you'll get the picture.
Whether her guitar picking is distorted and gloomy ("Messes," "Speeding Ticket") or light and melancholic ("Thin," "Human Being"), Chura sure seems to know how to capture the feeling of heartbreak most of us haven't felt since our angst-y teen years. Messes would be a remarkable proposition if it stopped there, but the thing is, the Detroit songwriter also has a knack for amazing punkish anthems.
On album opener "Slow Motion," power chords fly around as Chura's voice gains a little more momentum with every chorus. Same goes for "Spotted Gold," an upbeat garage rocker on which she displays her overdriven twang. Never too bitter or too sweet, these songs are bursting at the seams with casual urgency, an intoxicating counterpoint to the songs' melancholy.
(Urinal Cake Records)Whether her guitar picking is distorted and gloomy ("Messes," "Speeding Ticket") or light and melancholic ("Thin," "Human Being"), Chura sure seems to know how to capture the feeling of heartbreak most of us haven't felt since our angst-y teen years. Messes would be a remarkable proposition if it stopped there, but the thing is, the Detroit songwriter also has a knack for amazing punkish anthems.
On album opener "Slow Motion," power chords fly around as Chura's voice gains a little more momentum with every chorus. Same goes for "Spotted Gold," an upbeat garage rocker on which she displays her overdriven twang. Never too bitter or too sweet, these songs are bursting at the seams with casual urgency, an intoxicating counterpoint to the songs' melancholy.