CHATROOMS traveled to Massachusetts to record “Helio” with Alan Day of Four Year Strong, and the single came out on August 14th. The San Fernando Valley band, who describe themselves as an all-Latino indie and post-hardcore group, took the title from the Greek word for “sun,” and say the session drew on influences ranging from indie rock to post-hardcore. The lyrics follow a life-changing realization that becomes harder to ignore the deeper you look, and the band says writing it pushed them to be more direct and vulnerable than they had been before.
Texturally, this song is very specific. It has an air of Japanese harmony that many math rock outfits use, but combined with the garage-punk aesthetic of the drums, it creates a unique color, in my opinion, that’s soothing but also energetic. It might not make sense, but musically this sounds like caffeine. Actually, different versions of caffeine across its runtime. It starts out like a gentle tea; by the end it’s like shotgunning two Monsters back to back with how aggressive and powerful and distorted it sounds. Much like the sun, I guess. The sun gives warmth and life, but also eventually the heat death of the universe.
“Helio” sits alongside the band’s earlier track “It’s Alright,” which they say has passed one million streams on Spotify. After years of making music together, CHATROOMS describe their sound as bright melodies blended with the heavier post-hardcore influences they grew up on, and “Helio” shows both sides of that blend in one song. It also shows a band that has spent years refining its approach and is now willing to write more openly than before, which is worth watching as they build on that early success.
