The Cords

スコットランドのポップ・デュオ、The Cordsのセルフタイトル・デビューアルバム。近年聴いた中で最も活力に満ちたインディポップの一つで、尽きないエネルギー、若々しい自信、活気あるメロディ、そして何より素晴らしい曲で溢れています。Jonny Scott(CHVRCHES)がレコーディングに参加。

Growing up in Inverkip, Scotland, sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi learned to play multiple musical instruments, and in their mid-teens, they decided to start their own band when none of their peers were as into the 80s and 90s indie pop of C-86 and Sarah Records as they were. With younger sibling Eva singing lead and playing guitar, and Grace preferring drums, they dubbed themselves the Cords. The duos first proper show was an opening slot for the Vaselines in Glasgow in the latter half of 2023, and they quickly sold through pressings of a debut cassette single and later a flexi-single in 2024. Indie pop tastemakers Skep Wax (U.K. and Europe) and Slumberland Records (U.S.) signed on to release their debut album. Produced by Jonny Scott (Chvrches, Ladytron) and Simon Liddell (Frightened Rabbit, Poster Paints), who clearly respected the teens D.I.Y. foundation, The Cords LP easily lives up to the hype. With 13 tracks clocking in at 30 minutes, the no-filler set starts with the ultra-hooky, uptempo "Fabulist," kicking off a nonstop stream of bounce and jangle with a joyous, sugary-sweet rebuke of liars and fakes. They go on to note change over the passage of time on the racing "October" ("Its not that its gone/Its just not the same as it was"), leave the gathering with minimal overthinking on "Rather Not Stay" ("It was not good for me/But at least I felt free"), and turn trepidation into confidence on "Bos New Haircut" ("I think it might be cool/If I look like you"). Elsewhere, they venture more resolutely into noise pop on tracks like the clattering "You," the more reflective, reverb-heavy "Weird Feeling," and the buzzy, shoegaze-adjacent "Yes Its True." Throughout, however, its their knack for pristine melodies that rules the roost, and simple lyrics reveal a wisdom beyond their years. With the charm factor at 11, plenty of bah-bah-bahs, and a couple early-Beatles harmonics thrown in for good measure, The Cords is an all-ages bop fest that welcomes everyone but the creeps, poseurs, and haters. ~ Marcy Donelson