Chief State – Tough Love 12” EP (Mutant League Records)

Chief State is a Canadian uprising pop-punk quintet originating from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group has been operating for a while and recorded some decent recordings in the following years. Singles such as I Just Need Some More Time, The B-Sides: I Just Need Some Time, and Nothing More Than This gathered them a notable following on the social media. Besides digital releases distributed through Mutant League Records, Chief State has also done a compilation cassette version of I Just Need Some Time, published by Faithless Youth Records.

Tough Love is their latest recording, comprised of six marvelously produced compositions. Chief State follows the exact formula for their songs, carefully structured with exceptional musicianship, and stacked with some remarkable ideas. Perhaps their music leans towards contemporary pop-punk trends, but the group tends to include some delightful surprises along the way. Therefore, you may notice a strong presence of some alternative accentuations, the melancholy of modern emo music, or some melodic hardcore dynamics. Dualities between clean, but heavy guitar riffages and appealing harmonizations provide a delicate, well-defined, complex, but easy-listening melodic segments. Both guitars include loads of beautiful moments throughout the record that will unquestionably be praised among the pop-punk community. Compelling basslines nicely pair to these guitar dualities with some massive low-end tones that undoubtfully upgrade provided melodies to entirely another level. Nothing would sound so energized without exceptional drumming performance that includes an entire amalgam of various rhythmical maneuvers and drum fills. The lead vocals are layering the magnificent orchestrations of the group with high-pitched chants that certainly match the presented instrumentations. There’s a notable presence of a subtle studio reverb that surrenders even more melancholy into these numbers and unmistakenly saturates these melodies with echoic feel. Tough Love resembles the sound of some renowned groups such as The Story So Far, Boston Manor, Title Fight, Knuckle Puck, Like Pacific, Coldfront, Trash Boat, and other groups who levitate between contemporary pop-punk, emo, and indie sound. Tough Love possesses all the vital elements of these genres, and the Chief State somehow manages to convey these aesthetics through wondrous arrangements, supported by a little help of contemporary production technics.

Tough Love comes as a strictly limited edition record, and you can choose between clear with pink splatter or transparent green vinyl. The EP can be purchased on jewel case compact disc or streamed over digital streaming services. Whatever option you choose, head over to Mutant League Records for more detailed info about this release and Chief State.