When Chilli Jesson first appeared on the cover of NME way back in 2012, it was as one half of the most charismatic, chaotic indie frontman double act since Pete ‘n Carl. Palma Violets, the headline declared, were “the best new band in Britain”. Jesson, their bassist and sometime vocalist, was the effortlessly cool mouthpiece of the operation. But behind the youthful bangers and artfully dishevelled hair, Jesson’s adolescence had been tumultuous. At 14, he lost his father to drug addiction, and it’s this grief that – almost 20 years on – the musician addresses with his new venture, Dead Dads Club.
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The project (which follows a short-lived second band, Crewel Intentions, and a previous, eponymously named solo venture) might sound a little on the nose, yet the music contained within its debut record is anything but. Ironically, given the subject matter, it’s the most confident, vibrant work that Jesson has created since those early days of Palmas.
He’s described ‘Dead Dads Club’ as a narrative-driven record that traces the immediate years after his loss, but the lyrics are abstract enough to keep the concept from overly dominating. There is wistful hope on opener ‘It’s Only Just Begun’, a memory of rattled parental arguments at the core of ‘Running Out of Gas’, and a final, lingering sense of light at the end of the tunnel on closer ‘Need You So Bad’, but for the most part these are songs that stand up on their own outside of any larger conceit.
Their strength comes, in part, from the production chops of Fontaines D.C.’s Carlos O’Connell. In the past couple of years, Jesson has been playing as a touring member of the Irish behemoths and the experience has clearly given him a shot in the arm. ‘Don’t Blame The Son For The Sins Of The Father’ begins with a pummelling introduction that could slot happily into the ‘Romance’ playbook, while the Jack White-esque guitars on ‘Goosebumps’ are grizzled and abrasive in the most cheeky of ways. Alongside the prowling underbelly of ‘Humming Wires’, they’re some of the record’s best moments: songs designed to be turned up loud and played live.
But there’s impressive variety contained within ‘Dead Dads Club’ too. ‘Volatile Child’’s direct indie hooks throw back to the melodic smarts of early-Strokes; ‘Junkyard Radiator’ arrives woozy and disoriented in a drug-addled, psych-tinged haze, while ‘Need You So Bad’ rings with a gentle kind of euphoria. By digging into his bleakest moments, Jesson has steered himself musically back on course: no-one ever wants to join Dead Dads Club, but at least if you’re there you’ve got a good soundtrack.
Details
Record label: Fiction Records
Release date: January 23, 2025
The post Dead Dads Club – ‘Dead Dads Club’ review: Chilli Jesson’s most exciting work since Palma Violets appeared first on NME.
