Words by Vivek Bhadra
Photo by Anja Pöttinger
New Viennese band Laundromat Chicks released their third studio album Sometimes Possessed. This album feels instantly special and familiar. Thematically it sounds akin to something set in a school prom and progresses to become a road film. Laundromat Chicks consists of; Theresa Strohmer (vocals/guitars), Tobias Hammermüller (vocals/guitars), Lena Pöttinger (bass), and Felix Schnabl (drums).
A distorted, slow, woozy cover of The Kink’s ‘This Strange Effect’ lays a foundation for the rest of the album. The chords that Laundromat Chicks use in this cover are an instant reminder of the Middle Eastern instrument ‘oud’. This adds a lucid dreamy effect to the track. These very chords can then be heard throughout the rest of the album.
The first official track Sometimes Possessed immediately immerses us into a high school prom. The reverbed electronic hymn in the background, the guitar riffs and Tobias repeatedly singing ‘some of these things are possessed sometimes’ make this track quite dizzying. There is also a very slight static noise present throughout the album, especially when Tobias sings. If there is a visual descriptor for this added layer of sound, it would be described as film grain. As a result, Laundromat Chicks bring about an analogue quality to this album. This quality is what transports us to an 80s school auditorium. A sea of ill-fitted suits, sparkly dresses, bolo ties, a singular disco ball, tinsels, and kids dancing as if they were all a little possessed.
Cameron feels tender and intense, like a rush of newfound intimate feelings. A charged-up single in which Tobias’ voice reveals his caring nature. Instrumentally, this album can often sound chaotic. Each of the instruments is played independently of the other and yet Laundromat Chicks tie all of it together rather organically. “You can hear a lot of random stuff happening in the background. To be honest, on Sometimes Possessed, it feels like I almost tried to fake that chaos. But I'm glad if it seems natural.” Tobias Hammermüller describes the inspiration taken from Big Star’s album ‘Third’ and trying to ‘fake’ it in this album. Cameron is the track where this chaotic quality presents itself the most and is experimented with to express this intensity of intimate feelings.
In the next track How do you know? Theresa and Tobias harbor this lyrical oscillation reminiscent of the 60s pop album ‘Lee and Nancy’. The duet has this brash, playful conversation backed by a dancey jangle. Whereas, Sunburn plays like a thought process, contemplative and retrospective. A protagonist hits the road, they are looking at their hometown one last time. It is a blissful sort of reflection. The little riff that opens Sunburn transforms the album into the aforementioned road film; resonating strongly with Wim Wender’s opening of his film ‘Paris, Texas’. Halfway through the track, the band puts the theme aside by letting their guitar loose and getting lost in itself. Tobias keeps on singing and so does the guitar, both independent of each other, meanwhile, the drums find their way from the dancey jangle beats to a heavy shoegaze climax.
Through Sunburn comes Secrets, a nostalgic anthem where the album has fully committed to being on the road. A longing is felt within these few tracks, a wishful sadness as if we were being driven far away by the sound of this album. Time Zones could be a track that can be found in a Townes Van Zandt record. The folky production, Tobias' deep voice, and lyrical contemplations similar to that of Bill Callahan’s; together paint a picture of an open road passing through a remote desert, sunset on the horizon, and orange sand as far as the eye can see.
The album closes with the acoustic Spiders Inside You and Ruins. Ruins is the last track in Sometimes Possessed. Combining heavy drumming, and distorted guitars with the consistent jangle of the album; this structure shapes this song to be indicative of this album coming around to finding itself. It plays in the manner of an ending title sequence.
Sometimes Possessed is a nomadic album that explores itself and takes the audience with it. It sounds analogue but it feels timeless. It’s dizzying, nostalgic, and a little sad but also strangely comforting once you get to know it. Laundromat Chicks have made something cinematic, imaginative, and truly special.
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