Irish anthemic emotive rockers Bell X1 will be coming at us with their 6th studio record Chop Chop on June 28th.
Frontman Paul Noonan talks about the album title saying, “We returned to simpler times (…) when all around here (Connecticut) was fields. Shrink the palette, you know? Chop chop!”
The record was recorded at Peter Katis’ studio in Connecticut. You know Peter Katis because he recorded and mixed Interpol’s classic Turn on The Bright Lights. He has also produced every National record since 2002. The album cover of their breakout album Boxer is a photograph of The National playing Peter’s wedding.
I first heard Bell X1 on Tea Time with Jon back in maybe 2011? Of all the Tea Time songs I’ve heard from Jon… “Velcro” is probably the only one I still listen to, almost weekly and lives as a depth cut on my Veneto playlist.
Here is a live take of that song recorded in Dublin as part of their Field Recordings.
In Ireland, Bell X1 are a big deal. Headlining festivals and topping the charts with their blend of electronic and popular rock. But for their new record Chop Chop, Peter Katis says the band dialed it back and simplified the process.
“I can’t remember the last time I was part of a record that was recorded, mixed and mastered in only two weeks (…) The guys came in really prepared song-wise and performance-wise. We had a ‘live’ setup of drums, bass and upright piano all in the same room—tracking to tape, going for full takes. It was a slightly old-fashioned approach, without the usual digital safety net, and I think that energy comes across in the music.”
Here is the single “Starlings Over Brighton Pier.”
Go with yourself.
