What Good Does Truth Bring

Chastity Belt “Caught In A Lie”

Chastity Belt’s first two records were more lo-fi than their forthcoming third album, and the primary casualty of this aesthetic choice was that Lydia Lund’s crisp, elegant lead guitar parts usually got crowded out in the mix. I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone has a cleaner sound and the mix doesn’t feel nearly as cramped and claustrophobic. They haven’t really changed much about how they play, but the implied negative space in the recording makes everything feel much more relaxed, and much closer to the lovely low-key melancholy of Real Estate than a standard punk band. This suits them very well, and the sad-but-pretty tone of the music serves as an interesting frame for the unpolished angst in Julia Shapiro’s voice. I love how the sound of “Caught In A Lie” is mostly quite drowsy, but Shapiro sounds alert but exhausted, like she hasn’t slept for days because this uncertain feeling has been burning a hole in her brain.

Buy it from Bandcamp.