Review: Chelsea Deadbeat Combo – “If Everything Goes Well”

BAND: Chelsea Deadbeat Combo

ALBUM: If Everything Goes Well

LABEL: Independent

GENRE: Melodic Hardcore

RATING: 7/10

If Everything Goes Well is the debut record from Swiss hardcore band Chelsea Deadbeat Combo. Part hardcore, part melody, If Everything Goes Well is a solid effort for a band’s first attempt, but it does little to differentiate itself from the slew of other melodic hardcore releases that have also been recently released.

If Everything Goes Well starts out strong with the album’s second longest song, “Under the Bottom Line.” A strong start, the song goes from hardcore-style screams to pop punk-esque singalong moments with ease, setting the general theme for the majority of the album.

Each track incorporates some form of melody and clean vocals with its hardcore elements, but Chelsea Deadbeat Combo never fully slows down; the album keeps a steady pace throughout. Even the “breakdowns” are more upbeat than hardcore’s typical slow chug breakdowns. If Everything Goes Well seems written with live performance very much in mind. Oftentimes, fast power chords and slamming drums drive scream-your-heart-out choruses and “get up” breakdowns.

Perhaps the nicest thing about If Everything Goes Well is that Chelsea Deadbeat Combo has written a melodic hardcore album that doesn’t sound like Touché Amoré, Defeater, or letlive. The album isn’t perfect by any means, nor does it really have a unique sound, but at least there is some effort at originality on the release.

The album’s biggest issue is simply that it doesn’t manage to pull away from the pack; each song is good and fairly well-written, but no one will remember Chelsea Deadbeat Combo’s debut LP. Still, If Everything Goes Well is certainly a promising opener to the Swiss band’s discography.