OK Cool
Chit Chat LP (S/R)
The charming union of OK Cool’s Bridget Stiebris and Haley Blomquist Waller reaches confident new heights on their debut album Chit Chat, an irresistible document of the duo's dogged DIY spirit and close knit creative connection. Throughout, the Chicago shredders build on the trademark sound that helped grant their status as one of the most exciting bands in their local scene. Arriving after three EPs released over the course of five years, Chit Chat is their most fully realized work to date–proving that Stiebris and Blomquist can continue to discover new places for their sound to go.
While half of the songs that comprised 2023’s acclaimed fawn EP clocked in at under 2 minutes, Chit Chat sees the duo strengthening their oeuvre within more traditional song lengths. "This was definitely an intentional part of the writing process for the album,” Stiebris explains. “I'm into the idea of telling a story, communicating an idea, but not taking up more time than I absolutely need to—this often results in pretty short songs. With Chit Chat, I tried to feel more comfortable taking up that space. So many bands I admire find ways to settle into themselves and a song's groove, and I wanted to see what that would look like in my own writing–that process of taking a breath and settling for a moment within the song."
The 10-track LP was entirely written, performed, and produced by Stiebris and Blomquist, with engineering support from fellow Chicago musicians Avery Black, Brad Harvey, and Wesley Reno. “We love keeping our production minimal and just between the two of us,” says Blomquist. “It creates a comfortable environment for sharing and recording ideas. While we have some different influences, we’re very like minded when it comes to songwriting.” Chicago friends Josh Kayne (drums) and Tommy Kessler (guitar) round out their live band.
“This record to me definitely centers around communication, hence the title Chit Chat,” Stiebris says. “I think it’s kind of a tongue-in-cheek reflection of both how Haley and I write–sending voice memos and song demos to each other via text message–and the actual action of talking person to person. A lot of these lyrics look back on certain interactions I’ve had and how they could have gone better, what I could have done differently, et cetera, and how they ended up affecting me emotionally.” Chit Chat is ultimately the sound of two best friends collaborating effortlessly to craft a singular sonic language.
The album pulls inspiration from a wide range of artists who value lyricism and experimenting with production and form. It blends songs with hooky melodies (“Fading Out Forever”), shoegaze sensibilities (“Splitting”), guitar theatrics (“Jeans (I Get It Now),” “Ruined”) and even delicate piano (“Loop”), but these tracks never feel disparate thanks to the thoughtful songwriting and instrumentation that fans have come to expect from the duo. “I feel like we’ve made a point to keep the dynamic and way of creating the music the same as we’re still finding our voice and style in all of this,” says Stiebris. “I think our genre, for instance, is a collage of all the stuff we like that we don’t intend on parsing out.”
Standout single “Waawooweewaa” packs a zesty punch and finds the band indulging in their most straightforward rock and roll sensibilities. “Safety Car,” an ode to the people who always have your back, features twinkling synths over OK Cool’s most endearingly pop chorus to date. “Last,” the album closer, is a heartfelt reflection on self-doubt over a perfect blend of acoustic and electric guitars that Stiebris and Blomquist say is a mutual favorite track.
“It’s kind of unreal to finally have our own full-length record,” Stiebris notes. “I feel like this whole time I’ve been trying to figure out how to write music at all—and even with ten new songs under our belt, it still feels like a fresh challenge every time I go to write. I’m really proud of the way we’ve been able to incorporate each other’s ideas into something cohesive and true to ourselves.”
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