Formed by brothers
Evan and
Quinn Seurkamp, Ohio band
the Laughing Chimes initially drew directly from the happy jangle of post-
Byrds college rock. Their 2020 debut album,
In This Town, was a joyous parade of bright 12-string guitars, naïve melodies, and songs that walked the line between smiley twee pop and the more upbeat side of
R.E.M.'s early catalog. Their second full-length album,
Whispers in the Speech Machine, takes a decidedly different approach, setting aside the optimistic pop of their earlier sound in favor of moodier performances heavily influenced by '80s goth and synth pop. This shift is apparent in the first few seconds of album opener "Atrophy." While there are still remnants of
the Laughing Chimes' earlier jangle in the song's bright acoustic guitars and peppy tempo, the band's once-carefree vocal style is now more serious and pushed into a different space in the mix with a dark reverb treatment. The change is dramatic but not indicative of weaker material. "He Never Finished the Thought" has all the energy and songwriting personality that the band have always exhibited, only now they're leaning more into the influence of
the Church or
Echo & the Bunnymen, with chorus-soaked bass lines and yearning synth melodies informed by
the Cure's best albums. "High Beams" is another stand-out track that doubles as an example of how
the Laughing Chimes are still very much the same group even with this new direction. The song bounces along in a patchwork of nicely arranged hooks and dynamics, again riding high on waves of
Cure-like synth melodies. A far less shadowy version of "Cats Go Car Watching" was already recorded for the band's 2022 EP
Zoo Avenue, and while the
Whispers in the Speech Machine version is more effectively produced, a little more despairing, and a lot heavier on synth pads, it's essentially the same song, only delivered with a slightly different accent. At this point,
the Laughing Chimes are a new enough band that such a sweeping change is still a part of them finding their voice.
Whispers in the Speech Machine's gothic overtones might be jarring for listeners who fell for the fresh-faced sound of the group's earliest recordings, but it still represents an artistic step forward. ~ Fred Thomas
