“Addie’s Got A Famous Dad” Album Preview

Addie’s Got A Famous Dad is the first full length album from the Chicago-based band The Trenchies. Having already heard some of the songs live, I thought I had a pretty solid idea of what to expect from this album. Unexpectedly, it ended up taking many twists and turns that I had not predicted and kept me on my toes through its entire 40 minute run time. 

The album is introduced with a sample from The Trenchies first ever single “Nieve.' It felt like a little easter egg connecting their first release to their now full-length project, showing how much the band has grown in the past year. But before I knew it, the song quickly transitioned into the next. 

I have found that a common struggle of indie bands is that they can get caught up in a single sound on an album where everything ends up sounding the same. This album did a great job of not falling into that trap. The whole experience of listening to it made me feel like I was flipping through channels on TV. For instance, track 10, “Perception Obsession,” is a lyrically vulnerable song about an unstable relationship, which is then followed up by “Truckin,” a highly suggestive song about trucks. If that's not something that makes you want to give the album a listen then I don't know what to tell you. 

“Shady Situation,” the second track off the album, feels like the real kick off to the project. While its lyrics may not be so cheerful, it’s got a very beachy summertime fun kind of feel, including some satisfying surf rock guitars and Beach Boys style “weooo’s.” I'm a sucker for this style of music so it was easily one of my favorites off the whole album. 

Track 4, “The Giving Up Song,” left a strong impression on me because I remembered hearing it live, sung in duet with a puppet. Even without the live visuals, the backup vocals sound like they could be sung by the muppets. It’s almost hard not to picture a hand puppet singing “ba ba bada badadada” when listening. Very on brand for the band and their “muppetcore” genre. 

Towards the middle of the album are three back to back songs that significantly stand out from the rest. First is “Meetwood Flack,” which pretty quickly blends into “The Chain.” My guess is you probably have an idea of what these songs might sound like based on their names… but if you're not thinking Calypso, you'd be mistaken. Track 8, “Casio Keyboard'' follows up this Fleetwood Mac break, taking a turn into the Polka genre. I feel like this may be an arguable choice, but “Casio Keyboard” is definitely in the running to be my favorite from the whole album. Its catchy “C-A-S-I-O K-E-Y-B-OOO-A-R-D” has been running through my head in the most random of times and I'm honestly pretty okay with the spot it's taken in my brain. 

While everything on this album does feel like The Trenchies, tracks 3 (“Celebrities are Boring”), 5 (“Motor On''), and 12 (''New Shoes”) felt very classic to their sound. By this I mean a groovy rhythm section that makes you want to move, tied with some sporadic guitar parts and vocal ow’s! As the band moves through different genres throughout the album, these songs bring them back to their roots and really tie the whole project together. 

This whole album reinforced my opinion on the band's super strong and unique songwriting skills. I hear a lot of music that just kind of goes in and then straight out of my head leaving no impression. The Trenchie’s music is a much needed break from that. The only area that I felt was lacking was in the mixing for the tracks. But as with any band working on their first full length project, I think that is just a part of the process in learning one's sound. 

The album ends on a more somber note with track 13, “Jesus of Los Angeles.” The song immediately gave me a bit of a sunken feeling when I first listened to it. After tuning into its lyrics: “Only one I’ve ever loved, maybe the only one I ever will,'' it became clear why. It’s definitely one of the band’s more vulnerable songs, as not much deciphering needs to be done to understand it. It felt like a necessary comedown from the rest of the album, preparing you to hit repeat to do it all over again. 

Addie’s Got A Famous Dad comes out this Thursday, October 26th. Give it a listen, do a little dance, have a fun time with it. It's definitely not a project to be slept on.