Katie Ellen rebounds from more than one breakup on their debut 7″
Earlier this year, Brooklyn pop-punkers Chumped parted ways after two sold-out shows at Bushwick’s Suburbia. If this left you feeling as empty as the time Alycia Merklin broke up with me over text in the tenth grade, you’re in luck, because guitarist Anika Pyle and drummer Dan Frelly have released their debut 7″ as Katie Ellen. Fans of Chumped will feel right at home with this pair of breakup bangers, as the band brings newfound punch and definition to an old sound.
“Wild Heart” and “TV Dreams” continue where Chumped left off, with the same noisy instrumentation and earnest vocals that made them a hit in the DIY circuit. This time around, though, they’ve slowed down the tempo a bit and placed greater emphasis on the lead guitar. Because of this, the songs have a more anthemic feel, providing a great backdrop for Pyle’s impassioned vocals to say what they need to say.
Both songs look to pick up the pieces after a failed relationship, and while this theme is certainly nothing new for Pyle and Frelly, it takes on new meaning in the context of Chumped’s breakup. With lines like “I like to keep things that remind me of you” on “Wild Heart” and “I’m miserable with you / I’m miserable without you” on “TV Dreams,” it’s unclear whether Pyle is singing about a lover, her old band, or both. Either way, she’s singing from the heart, which is what really matters at the end of the day. If you’ve ever loved and lost, there’s bound to be something here you can get down with.
Per Brooklyn Vegan, the band is going on a fall tour with Jeff Rosenstock and Hard Girls, and it stops in Philadelphia on November 16th for a PhilaMOCA gig. Check out the tour dates below while you’re listening to the TV Dreams 7″.
Jeff Rosenstock / Hard Girls / Katie Ellen — 2016 Tour Dates
10/24 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
10/25 Durham, NC @ Duke Coffee House
10/26 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater
10/27 Tallahassee, FL @ Club Down Under
10/28-30 Gainesville, FL @ The Fest
11/01 Houston, TX @ Walter’s
11/02 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
11/03 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
11/05 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
11/06 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
11/07 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
11/09 Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin Madison – The Set
11/10 Detroit, MI @ El Club
11/11 Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
11/12 Ithaca, NY @ Martha Hamblin Hall
11/14 Providence, RI AS220
11/15 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Philamoca
11/17 Washington, DC @ DC9
11/18 Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel