chest. are a Parisian quintet featuring one British expat. Already active in various local bands, they couldn’t resist the call to make music together. So do the sum of the parts add up to a greater whole on debut EP All Good Things End?
Title track and opener ‘All Good Things End’ is a bombastic start. chest. announce themselves and are impossible to ignore. They have managed to convey a hint of darkness in the track, while at the same time the tempo is unrelenting, the pounding over and over. ‘Self Sabotage’ continues this exhilarating energy with guitar riffs which are thrilling, rattling along. There is a sense of catharsis on ‘Self Sabotage’, playing this much release so many endorphins: “There’s a storm in my chest, I get no rest” is on repeat, fast and furious.
If single ‘Blood On Your Doorstep’ is the listeners first listen to this French band there would be some confusion, as it is lodged very much in the very distinct accent and aesthetic of the English lead singer. Lyrically ‘Blood on your Doorstep’ speaks about the gap between the rich and the poor. It tackles the idea that we are all guilty of having “normalized” the existence of extreme poverty that surrounds us daily, to the point where we barely even notice it anymore. The instrumentation reflects this harsh reality. Ferocious vocals and an intensity create a sense of urgency as well as it should be, with thunderous drums and an edginess enhanced by that percussive element which sits just below the ensuing mayhem.
A complete change in sonics at the start of‘Song 008’. Twitchy anxiety fuelled electronics and more measured vocal delivery create an intense atmosphere. Introspective and thoughtful, the pounding drum is however ever present. The frustrations build both vocally and within the instrumentation, with the echoey guitar layering in to add to the ever increasing sense of foreboding until towards the end the guitar takes over completely. The challenges of contemporary life are embodied within the ever present pounding drums and the tension inducing guitars
‘Men At The End’ and ‘Aceta’ return the fury. Both introduce a funky guitar, more evident on ‘Aceta’, the final track and a highlight on All Good Things End. There is a heightened twitchy pulsating beat which is battling against the drums and the vocals, perhaps representing the competing challenges which result from navigating life. The mayhem that ensues mid-track is an utter riot. It seems entirely appropriate that the last lyrics of the EP are “You’ve got to hold on tight.”
chest. have already supported acts such as Heavy Lungs, The 113, KNIVES and Naked Lungs and played a couple of shows in Dublin. In February and March 2025, chest. will be the French support act for DITZ in Lyon, Paris and Lille. This alone is evidence of a band generating the right kind of noise. This debut is raw and raucous, bold and brash, explosive and exhilarating, exploring themes both internal and external. And returning to the original question, the answer is, in chest.’s case, an emphatic “YES”.
For more information on chest. please check their instagram.
