Chilling Winston

Chilling Winston [10-inch] (2010)

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As I sit here reviewing and listening to Chilling Winston's self-titled debut 10-inch I struggle to find the words best suited for such a solid debut.

It's been a long while since an Australian band has put something out that I can listen to start to finish without thinking about skipping to the next song. Maybe it's that it is only six tracks long and comes in under 15 minutes, but in my opinion that's one of the only things bad about it: It's too short.

From the opener "Acclaim" all the way through to "Fools of March" I can't help but want to get up and dance. The raw production and gruff vocals and harmonies just add to the feel of being at a show. It's not overly produced while also not feeling like it was recorded in mum's garage on your brother's stereo tape recorder; it finds the middle ground for quality sound.

"Figure 8" and "Werewolf Weekday" are the standout tracks on the album, with the band's influences shinning through as varied and classy and including sounds reminiscent of Hot Water Music, Laterman, Spanish Gamble, O Pioneers!!! and Dear Landlord.

Fingers crossed these boys don't go the way of many other Aussie bands and end up in the junkyard; they are definitely onto something here. 6.5 out of 10.

Chilling Winston was released as a donation-based download by Death to False Hope Records as well.