Chip & The Charge Ups’ are set to release their third studio record “LIGHTNING IN OUR VEINS” April 3rd 2020.
Formed by the unique father-daughter team of Chip Dominick & then 16-year old Maleena, Pittsburgh’s Chip & The Charge Ups quickly created an electrifying buzz. The band performed its first shows at some of the East Coast’s fastest-growing music festivals. Chip & The Charge Ups call their music “electrifying East Coast power pop” - a modern, poppy hard rock sound peppered with reckless punk. The band captivates audiences with several distinctive elements. Those elements include infectious songs, a swaggy wardrobe, fun choreography, and ingenious mashups.
Chip & The Charge Ups’ debut single, “The Ol’ Two Niner,” has been an enduring staple on WDVE, an iconic radio station in Pittsburgh. The station uses the song as intro music for legendary Pittsburgh Penguins player and current radio announcer, Phil Bourque, when he makes his weekly morning show appearances. The band’s two albums - Flow of the Current, Part I (+) and Flow of the Current, Part II (-) - were critically acclaimed by international music media.
Chip & The Charge Ups used the success of “Black and Gold Christmas” (That is featured on LIGHTNING IN OUR VEINS” ) to fuel a fundraising campaign in partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The campaign raised enough money to provide over 2,600 meals to people in need through the Food Bank.
This record featuring nine tracks of pop-punk jams has some of the best work the Pittsburgh music scene has heard in awhile.
The leadoff track, “Feel Electricity,” made its radio debut on WDVE on February 2, 2020. Honestly this is my favorite off of the record; it has such a catchy riff with a hooky chorus that is sure to get any crowd fired up!
The next track is a cover of “The Tide Is High” which I defiantly thought was a very original take on a track that’s been covered a lot, oh and the video is pretty cool too (but I’m probably bias on that, ha.).
To kind of get ahead of myself, there’s a mash-up on here that on first listen through I didn’t notice for some bizarre reason. Now The Charge-ups aren’t scared to push the envelope with mash-ups. This one took me aback at first glance. Bark at the Moon meets Bad Romance; I cannot express how much I love this. This track features Courtney Handlovitch and I love how the vocals blend together and keep the spirit of both songs alive. Well done everyone!
Another couple tracks that stand out to me, both have a very Charge-ups sound to them. “This Bomb Ain't Gonna Light Itself” and “Unbreakable”. They both are very different songs but both share the same thing I dig about this band, they have very catchy riffs with some killer hooks in the chorus. The flow through the songs don’t feel forced, It flows like music should.
After a full listen of this record I feel confident in saying this is going to be one of the best records the Pittsburgh music scene will see this year, and it’s a great addition to the Charge-ups library.
The album is called Lightning in Our Veins and it will be released on all major digital music platforms on April 3. The Album Release Party will be on April 4th at the Hard Rock Cafe-Pittsburgh.
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