Brandon Williams, the singer and songwriter behind Chastity, finds much of his music’s inspiration from his upbringing in Whitby, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto. He grew up in a religious, working family; however, as a teenager he found refuge from the scripture, doctrine, and monotony of industrial suburbia in the punk music scene. Although the genre’s anti-establishment and free-thought rhetoric may seem far removed from Williams’s childhood, his music utilizes those ideologies and takes a stab at the safety, emotions, and politics of it all in his September sophomore release, Home Made Satan.
Similar to Home Made Satan, Chastity’s debut album Death Lust was very introspective, exploring a wide range of topics from death to privilege to childhood. However, Chastity’s newest release has upped the political charge and melancholy while doubling down on the flow and rhythm seen in his first release. Since making way into the music scene, Chastity has taken inspiration from artists like Fiona Apple, My Chemical Romance, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Chastity really took these inspirations to heart — the vocal variation on this album is quite evident.
Home Made Satan’s lyrics are deeply personal, giving Chastity’s audience a behind-the-scenes listen at the anxiety, discontentment, and sadness of Williams’s life. The most lyrically-strong track, “Sun Poisoning,” metaphorically embodies the mental dispositions of Chastity, while also showcasing the variability that Chastity has to offer in the realm of emo, post-/pop-punk, and shoegaze genres. Perhaps one of the best songs on the album is its closer, “Strife.” It incorporates Chastity’s familiar edginess, but it delivers it in the form of a hard to beat pop-punk track. Chastity came out strong – maybe even too strong – with its first release, Death Lust; however, Home Made Satan is still worth a listen. The messages and raw talent behind this album are not to be overlooked.
Recommended If You Like: Screen Vinyl Image, Teenage Wrist, Swain
Recommended Tracks: 4 (Sun Poisoning), 10 (Strife)
Do Not Play: 1 (Flames), 2 (Dead Relatives), 8 (The Girls I Know Don’t Think So)
Written by Amy Shea on 11/12/2019