Chinatown Slalom are having a party, and you’re all invited. The Liverpool-based group have been regularly throwing raucous house parties in their adopted city for a little while now. It’s where they met at Uni, having grown up in Bury, Belfast, Stratford-upon-Avon and Macclesfield. They’re now extending the invite to everyone on Facebook to come and have a blast. If you’re in the vicinity, all we can do is urge you to do is get down there immediately – because they may well be the most intriguing new band in Britain right now.
Their debut album ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’, released without an arduous build-up or slow drip-feed of singles, is a joyous, experimental and enticing welcome into their vibrant world – think the trippy moments of The Beatles (Liam, Jake, Ricky and Michael from the band are currently living on the same street where one of the Fab Four grew up) meeting the party-time attitude of The Avalanches and the shambolic funk of The Beta Band. If you’re into catchy pop songs stuffed with samples and summer vibes, you’ll be halfway to the beach.
Sampling Jai Paul – whose comeback is remarkably well-timed – the title track is a glitchy thing that pairs slinky guitars, wobbly melodies and a simple refrain of “who wants to be a millionaire?”. Opening track ‘Dr Marvelo and His Best Friend Corkie’ is a cartoonish twist on some of the Avalanches’ most-out-there moments. ‘People Always Say What They Want’ is a soothing singalong in an album that thrives on good times.
It’s largely fun and games, but there are moments of real grit lodged in there too. ‘8:30’ shows the four-piece flashing their gnashers with a cyber-rock thumper, while the sparse ‘Ricky’s Song’ could soundtrack the grim morning after tidying-up following one of those infamous house parties.
