Athens, Ohio jangle pop/indie pop/post punk band The Laughing Chimes have announced the release of their second studio album “Whispers In The Speech Machine“.
Along with the announcement they have also shared a new track and video, “High Beams“. The 8-track record will be out on January 31, 2025 via Slumberland Records. Pre-order your copy here.
On their spellbinding sophomore album, the young Ohio siblings fully embrace their Southern Gothic influences, cannily balancing the light of their infectious pop with the shadow of their rust belt environs. While attending an afterschool music program at their local opera house, Evan and his brother Quinn began recording their debut album “In This Town,” released in 2020. A string of well-received digital singles and a cassette EP for Slumberland followed, dazzling savvy pop fans with their Paisley Underground-inflected jangle that owes as much to the Flying Nun sound as it does to 80s Athens, GA.
The eight assured songs on “Whispers in the Speech Machine” cannily balance the light of their infectious pop with the mood and atmosphere of their Appalachian environs and point the way forward for this captivating young band. Guitarist/vocalist Evan Seurkamp says:
“Southeast Ohio is the foothills of Appalachia, so it has this indescribable mood and atmosphere to it. Sometimes there’s a haunting weight of decay you want to escape, but at the same time there is some sort of strange romanticism surrounding ghost towns. We’ve tried to channel those moods to add more regional flavor into our sound.”
Check out “High Beams” below, followed by the album’s artwork and tracklist.
The Laughing Chimes “Whispers In The Speech Machine”
Tracklist:
- Atrophy
- He Never Finished The Thought
- Country Eidolism
- Cats Go Car Watching
- A Promise to Keep
- High Beams 03:26
- Fluorescent Minds
- Mudhouse Mansion
Photo courtesy of Slumberland Records
