By: Jimmy Sears
Nick and Madison Tuttle are a couple from Knoxville, TN who formed the band Chaotic Neutral. The duo released the fury in their self-recorded studio album, “Lights Out Lemmings.” Inspired by bands such as Blink 182 and Sick Puppies, Chaotic Neutral fills the bars on the sound board with energetic force with Nick on the guitar and Madison on the bass to bring an awesome combo to the eclectic alternative genre.
“And So It Goes” gives a wild start as shades of Green Day splash across the track. Drums and riffs synchronize well as Nick, who has an inflection comparable to Billie Joe Armstrong, speaks of the realization of love as he expresses, “and so it goes.” The guitars build momentum like a roller coaster throughout as Nick takes the song to the finish.
Aside from track one, other tracks such as “Girl of my Dreams” and “Crush Sign” also have the “unrequited love” theme and read as if they came from a love-sick kid in high school. The familiar punk-esque hate is retained through the spiteful “Jealous X” and the unapologetic “I’m Not Sorry,” which plays like the Black Crowes’ cover of “Hard to Handle.”
Speaking of instrumentals, the seemingly randomly titled tracks, “Jam Is For Toast!” and “Shadow Dance 8-Bit!” contain no lyrics. “Shadow Dance” in particular has a high tempo and pitch, and especially around the half-way mark, sounds like MIDI music from a dusty Sega Genesis cartridge.
Overall, “Lights Out Lemmings” lights the torch in an imbued record that gets the veins pumping.
Get the album here!
chaoticlemmings.bandcamp.com
