2023 is bound to go down in history as the year that Welsh three piece Chroma really made it big. This year they’ve played shows as close to home as FOCUS Wales and as far afield as the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival in South Korea and SXSW in Texas, signed with independent tastemakers Alcopop! Records, they’ve announced a show supporting the iconic Foo Fighters and now, after over five years of singles and live shows they’re ready to release their highly anticipated debut album Ask For Angela. The trio, formed of drummer Zac Mather, bassist Liam Bevan and singer/guitarist Katie Hall, bring together the sounds of Royal Blood, Lambrini Girls and Catatonia for an entirely fresh take on the alt-rock genre filled with chunky riffs and personal, introspective lyrics.
From the album’s scorching opener ‘Don’t Wanna Go Out’ it’s clear that Chroma aren’t here to mess about, bringing an early Arctic Monkeys level of musical storytelling to this raucous alt-rock track while retaining their restrained lyrical wit. Keeping the track simple with a constant, fuzzed out guitar riff and repeated chorus of “Don’t wanna go out but I’m going out anyway”, ‘Don’t Wanna Go Out’ eloquently paints a picture of a regretful night out with only a few lines per verse. Frontwoman Katie Hall’s vocals stand out on this single, remaining strong while building from a raspy whisper to a boisterous shout.
“2023 is bound to go down in history as the year that Welsh 3 piece Chroma really made it big”
Chroma take an interesting sonic approach throughout a number of their songs, building their riffs Death From Above style around a thunderous, fuzz infused bass while using tasteful guitar embellishments to fill out their sound. Tracks like ‘Girls Talk’ and ‘Bombs Away’ are built around the band’s rhythm section with Bevan’s deafening, effects laden basslines taking the lead and Mather’s drumming flowing from discrete backing to all-out cacophonous noise. This unique songwriting ethos gives space for singer Katie Hall to fully explore her vocal range, filling out the mix with vocal overdubs and effects while keeping the song’s intelligent lyrics clear.
A standout track on Ask For Angela is the outspoken feminist anthem ‘Woman To Woman’, directly addressing and tearing down TERFs who gatekeep and create infighting in feminist spaces to a danceable rock beat. It’s evident from the first line of the track that this is a deeply personal issue to Chroma with Hall’s lyrics breaking down feminist infighting as both a victim of body shaming from other women and as a trans ally with an intelligent and cutting edge. The track’s personal and biting lyrics are heavily amplified by a ferocious riff and funky, cowbell embellished drums, working on multiple levels as both a lyrical thesis on a complex issue and a stomping alt-rock banger.
“Chroma take an interesting sonic approach throughout a number of their songs, building their riffs Death From Above style around a thunderous, fuzz infused bass while using tasteful guitar embellishments to fill out their sound.”
Don’t assume that because of their hefty riffs and stripped down approach to songwriting that Chroma aren’t capable of plenty of sonic nuance, among the chunky alt-rock bangers the trio make time for a handful of more subdued moments. The tracks ‘Head In Transit’ and album closer ‘Over The Hill’ take on a more melancholy vibe, balancing out the album’s heavier moments. The former of these two tracks is closer to the rest of the album, with a slightly dissonant, chromatic guitar riff and Hall’s vocals, taking on an Amy Winehouse by way of Cerys Matthews quality, following more abstract lyrics than the more straightforward storytelling of the other tracks on Ask For Angela, while ‘Over The Hill’ is a six minute journey of a song reminiscent of 90s power ballads, allowing Katie to vent about her mental health journey while taking the listener on a tour of the South Wales valleys, it’s a much longer, winding track than we’re used to hearing from Chroma but as the album’s closer it’s certainly earned.
Overall Ask For Angela represents a confident step forwards for Pontypridd trio Chroma, with plenty of personal, poetic lyrics to sink your teeth into lying beneath a layer of fresh, radio ready alternative rock riffs. Now is the best time to get into Chroma, if their debut is anything to go by they’ll be filling out stadiums in no time.