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OUT TODAY: CHIMES’ Debut LP Pile of Parts Is Worth the Wait

Mike Magarelli and CHIMES launch an inspired Dark Wave resurrection with debut album PILE OF PARTS. 

Back on September 23, 2023, I was covering Modern English live at the Radio Room in Greenville, SC. I was there to see them primarily and really wasn’t aware of who was opening. I always cover the opening bands in my reviews though, so I definitely was going to check out whomever it was. As Chimes began to play their opening set, a vibe not unlike a cool wind on a late autumn night emanated from the stage and enveloped the crowd in melancholy embrace. It was an embrace that wasn’t sad, or sorrowful, but coolly affecting. It’s the kind of vibe that bands like The Cure, The Twilight Sad, early Jesus and Mary Chain, and other goth and Dark Wave bands of a similar sound are masters of. Chimes’ performance that night won me over, ended too soon, and left me wanting to hear more. Finally after a year and a half, the LP Chimes’ lead singer/guitarist Mike Magarelli promised was coming soon is now here. 

Composed of former members of the bands Sunshine State, Against Me!, and Averkiou, Chimes rises out of the Gainesville, Florida music scene. Their music deviates markedly from their former bands’ music though. Chimes are the direct descendants of the sound of late 1980s The Cure and The Church, along with a smattering of influences from other bands of the era, now often classified as Dark Wave. While there are direct similarities between Chimes and these Dark Wave bands, Chimes doesn’t just copy their formula. They make it unique through different production approaches and varied guitar sounds, even if the heavy influence of Disintegration era The Cure really does permeate almost everything on the album. 

This influence is intentional though, as Magarelli states about Chimes in an interview with The Music Bugle, “It’s the first non-punk rock or metal band I’ve ever been in. It’s basically an unapologetic attempt to emulate/pay homage to The Cure, primarily ‘Disintegration’-era.”  Pile of Parts exhibits solid evidence of the influence of other Cure albums as well, such as Wish, especially in the album’s title track “Pile of Parts.” Other tracks like “Wishing for Summer’ definitely reflect the unabashed love that Chimes’ members have for Disintegration. Standout tracks “Friends of the Deceased” and “Mute by Malice” move the band closer to breaking free of direct comparisons to their heroes and into more original territory. The beautiful “Die Alone’ even hints at later Pink Floyd influences with its guitar solo work. It feels like a Pink Floyd/The Cure mashup, but it’s all Chimes and all inspiring. 

A couple of the songs here have been available elsewhere, such as “Hold On” and “Waiting for Summer” which debuted on Chimes’ first EP back in 2023. A few others have been available on Bandcamp for a few years. Putting them side by side with previously unheard tracks solidifies the whole collection into a superb debut album. Mix in the opening and closing tracks, “First of None” and “Start Over,” which, when their run times are combined, stretch gloriously on for 13 minutes and 33 seconds, and Pile of Parts is a consummate full length experience.  

The best musicians take their listeners on a journey, and as cliche as that might seem, it still is true. With Chimes, the journey is one that moves outside of regular time. Pile of Parts warps time, shifting the eras between the release of their music and the music that inspired it out of sync, making them feel like contemporaries, rather than decades apart compositions. Finally getting to hear Chimes’ musical vision in its entirety was not only worth the anticipation, it was worth the wait. 

(Chimes’ debut album Pile of Parts releases on May 23rd) 

Carolina's based writer/journalist Andy Frisk love music, and writing, and when he gets to intermingle the two he feels most alive. Covering concerts and albums by both local and national acts, Andy strives to make the world a better place and prove Gen X really can still save the world.

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