Paul Hayworth - 2019 - Chicken Pants

(43:53, Electrocuted Wilma Tunes)

Track list:
1. Pay to be Famous 3:41
2. Walk Around 3:28
3. The Dust 3:35
4. No Feed 3:44
5. Not Alright 4:19
6. Further Away 3:32
7. Chickz 3:34
8. STD 3:36
9. Birdstrike 3:41
10. Ten Men 3:31
11. Timebomb 3:34
12. Where You Goin' Home 3:38

Line-up:
Paul Hayworth - vocals, instruments


UK artist Paul Hayworth has been a highly productive creator of music since 2010 or thereabouts, with a discography counting more than 30 releases all and sundry at the time of writing. Most of them, to my knowledge, with Hayworth himself doing everything himself on these productions. The album "Chicken Pants" dates back to 2019, and was released on Hayworth's own label Electrocuted Wilma Tunes.

The greater majority of the songs on this album are creations I'd describe as garage rock, with rough vintage sounding dark toned guitars as a prominent feature throughout, played with a tone, sound and timbre that has a bit of a 60's and 70's feel to it. He doesn't stay put in one particular variety of the form though, but rather explores this type of music in subtly different manners from one song to the next. Hence we get some space rock touches here, dark organ embellishments with a touch of The Doors on another composition, a bit of an Americana undercurrent at some stage and floating psychedelic textures elsewhere. A call back to the blues with wah wah guitar effects, funky underpinnings and whimsical sound effects is just as natural as a rockabilly-oriented cut with noise rock embellishments. As well as a song with a nod in the direction of 90's grunge.

In between the more garage rock style constructions we also get a small handful of tunes with more of a singer/songwriter touch to them. Light toned and acoustic guitars are prominent elements here, alongside the vocals of course, with Americana, folk music and psychedelic music embellishments or undercurrents.

Everything is explored in a bit of a lo-fi manner and with a DIY touch. This is rough and honest music, where studio magic appears to be as far away from the proceeding as actual magic is in real life. The emphasis appears to have been to present the music as it actually is, and perhaps as it might sound if reproduced in a live setting.

My overall impression as a total experience is that this is an album with more of a finite and limited reach. In part due to the lo-fi aspects, but also due to the songs themselves not applying elements that might give them a broader general appeal.  The landscapes explored doesn't wander all that much into the use of hooks, contrasts or other elements that will make more of an immediate impact, and my impression is that the album will appeal more to a niche audience within a garage rock interested crowd. Those who can subscribe to an interest in lo-fi garage rock exploring the style in a number of subtle variations might want to have a go at this one though.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
https://paulhayworth.bandcamp.com/
http://electrocutedwilmatunes.blogspot.com/