Ezra Bell Face Loss with Grace on ‘Chin Chin’ | Album Review

Chin Chin, the new album from Ezra Bell, is a 10-track reminder that they have spent over a decade carving out and cultivating a distinctive and individual sound. Their music pulls straight from the veins that flow through the likes of The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Tom Waits, and Randy Newman.

This is their first release since the tragic and untimely passing of singer, lyricist, and bandleader Ben Wuamett. It is the last of his work with the band, as the album was finished in the weeks before his unexpected passing. It’s prophetic in a way: on Chin Chin, they’re searching for beauty in our most difficult moments. It doesn’t ignore pain. It is optimistic and encouraging without dismissing the trouble. Much of it reads like a conversation about grief and death between the grieving and the deceased — as if they knew what lay ahead.

The simplicity of the instrumentation leaves room for contemplation of these heavier lyrical themes, which become cryptic at times — but that’s not to say the band’s musicality isn’t intriguing.

The album opens with “Ghost,” a doleful but heartening reminder that the only way out is through. It speaks to the duality in all people: that in everybody there exists both good and bad. It opens subtly, slowly building behind each verse until it blossoms into a fully unified sound.

On “Brave Men,” we live inside the slow-motion memories of someone from another time, slipping around twinkling piano, paired strings, and sultry horns swinging over crawling drums. It’s a slow but jovial sound that complements the thoughtful, folksy positivity laid softly over top. A reminder to surround yourself with the people who make you the best you can be. This song is the unrecognized hero of the album, and features some of the best writing on it.

“Cowards” brings back some tempo with a marching snare and energizing calls to action (“we would be some cowards if we did not fucking try”), while the strings, piano, and horns continue to lay down parts that really individualize this band’s sound. The track slides to an end and, after a brief pause, we are immediately confronted by “Cannonball Wingman,” one of the singles from the album. It’s slightly jaunty, sure, but still cautious of the danger — almost Waits-esque, like a dark carnival.

On “Dada,” we hear a vulnerable and difficult — but honest — admission of imperfection. These are hard conversations to have with ourselves, but we must have them. The band captures that uncertain but determined feeling well as they traipse through the track in no hurry to get to the end.

The album closes how it began, with a slowly building tune that opens on solo guitar and gradually grows. “Let Me In,” the other single, sounds like the end of a party. Everybody’s happy — but it’s just time to go.

Track Listing

Ghost
Brave Men
Tommy’s Lullaby
Cowards
Cannonball Wingman
Picnic
Dada
It Looks Like Love
Try Again
Let Me In