A lot can happen in a year. Formed 12 months ago by Brandon Williams and friends, Whitby-based Chastity signed to venerable local indie label Hand Drawn Dracula, toured the UK and now have a debut EP. Clocking in at 10 minutes total, the four songs pack plenty of visceral noise and a range of sounds.
Opening track You’re Scary Now is blissfully poppy, with Williams’s singing over a melodic guitar line gussied up with punchy drums and reverb. Things get angrier and louder over the next two songs: drums are faster, guitars chug along aggressively, and Williams’s voice transforms into something vicious as he screams, “But I can’t be your conscience!” on Salvia.
In a sonic twist, closer Nevermind, Lucifer slows down to a foreboding crawl in which Williams sings/slurs over reverby guitar for two minutes. It’s a jarring change of pace but shows that Chastity aren’t another punk band that can operate at only one speed.
Top track: You’re Scary Now
Chastity play Smiling Buddha January 30.
