The Deals: Clear and Severe
Featuring Chicago’s, The Deals and their album release.
The Deals
‘Clear and Severe’
Album art and graphic design by Tim Curley at Hobbies.
The Deals put out an album on January 15th titled Clear and Severe. We have kind of been OD’ing on it. (Hi there- if you see a bunch of CT listens, that’s us!). The Deals are made up of Chicago dwellers, Joey, Benji, Bin, Emmy, and Margot. All together, they make a cohesive album that feels like a blast of unsung alt-rock radio hits.
“Bologna” is a fantastic way to open the record. A perfect demonstration of their tasteful use of vocal harmonies, and their own unique brand of “complicated structures made approachable”.
By the time the chorus kicked in, I knew this album was going to stick with me for awhile. “More than Most” and “Can’t Take Care” are perfect counterparts for each other, and continue in that fun, friendly, punk-bop feel that make these songs so catchy and easy to love. As the record takes a more serious and contemplative turn, the quality of the songs do not waiver. “Bad Feeling” has a hauntingly beautiful vocal line that is as painful as it is sweet. I love the natural transitional choices, making the songs all feel immediately familiar.
“The Levee” has a perfect nostalgic guitar tone, and a narrative that is all too relatable at this point. “Yard Sale” and “How Good it Feels” have a reinvented twang to them that (despite not being an avid country music listener) are unironically fantastic. While “Yard Sale” has a fun dancey shuffle to it, it speaks of loss and inadequacy similarly to “How Good”, though the latter has a floaty and dreamy quality. Finally, my favorite track from the album, “Fortune 500” is a mini-masterpiece. The build of each layer is so perfectly welcome with each new piece. The vocal harmonies are complicated and impeccable, and when they are met with the guitar/bass progression, I am covered in chills. I discovered this band because I am a big fan of Joey’s other project, Gentle Heat. The sound is a huge departure from that project, but a great display of versatility as an artist.
The music video for Bologna credits goes to Jess Bass and Rob Sohmer.
This rad album was recorded at Pallet by the ever-talented Seth Engel (Options), mixed at JAMDEK by Doug Malone, and mastered by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden in California.
Thanks for reading. Have a favorite tune of the album? Drop it below.
If you are releasing music, drop me a message! I would love to hear it.
written by: nick restivo (snowpiler, ourselves alone) & autumn eliza
