Chin Chin

Sound of the Westway (Slumberland)

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: May 1st, 2010 | 7:00am

There are some things that were best left buried in the pop culture rubble of the 1980s. To name a few: MC Hammer parachute pants, New Coke, and those creepy Cabbage Patch Dolls. But sometimes, true gems are displaced among the wreckage. Thank heavens for the music archaeologists at Slumberland Records—they hit the riot grrl pay dirt with their reissue of Chin Chin's sole album, Sound of the Westway.

This 1985 sarcophagus of three-chord pandemonium seems so well-preserved, so fresh, you might think you were listening to the new Vivian Girls or Best Coast releases. The swell of feminine harmonies over the distorted crunch of guitars is enrapturing. Toss in a wailing harmonica solo a la "Even If It's a Lie," and you've got an act that could've—nay, should've—given the likes of the Go-Go's a run for their money. But woven into all those crisp, Clash-like arpeggios and 'Til Tuesday-era Aimee Mann mullets were lyrics to truly ponder, not just bark along to at slumber parties. On "Why Am I So Lonely?" singers Esther and Karin mull domestic abuse: "Why are boyfriends so violent? Why are they so selfish?" These Swiss misses were penning odes to self-discovery and self-worth long before Bratmobile had a "Pottymouth" and Courtney Love challenged, "Was she asking for it?” It's about time Chin Chin got the props they deserved for being such trailblazers in a decade trapped between the second and third waves of feminism in rock.

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Slumberland Records