The sophomore studio album from the Keystone State retro-rockers formerly known as
Daylight (their 2013 debut Jar was released under both names),
Our Is Chrome doubles down on
Superheaven's penchant for pairing flannel (
Nirvana,
Stone Temple Pilots) with vintage tees (
Weezer,
Silverchair), offering up a sonically dense 11-track set that's as visceral as it is derivative. The quartet's unapologetic adherence to '90s tropes makes
Ours Is Chrome more than a little bit hard to describe without invoking the names of the artists that it so liberally cribs from (nearly every track threatens at some point to break into either "In Bloom" [
Nirvana] or "Plush" [
STP]). Like their despondent grunge heroes, however,
Superheaven favor melody over mindless might, and fat, midtempo rockers like the
My Bloody Valentine-inspired "Blur" and the "Wave of Mutilation"-era
Pixies-peppered single "I've Been Bored" are delivered with an immediacy that belies their weathered alt-rock architecture. The largely recursive chord progressions, double-tracked lead vocals, and overall absence of guitar solos certainly fits the classic 120 Minutes mold, but the band is not above tossing in the occasional red herring. The brooding "All the Pain" boasts a neat, late phrase atonal chorus, and the driving "Gushing Blood" flirts with confectionary,
Torche-like, punk metal goodness, but for the most part,
Ours Is Chrome sounds like it arrived pristine via a tramp-stamped, nicotine-stained, Puget Sound time capsule. ~ James Christopher Monger