Cholly - A Darker Debut
We’ve said it several times before, but one of the best things about running this website is seeing artists grow. And this is an artist that has grown with her craft. She’s honed her skill in recent years, has received more attention to her music through her livestreams and live performances, and now she’s released her debut album. The artist is Cholly, and her record is called ‘Anomaly’.
Cholly is the artistic name taken by songwriter, producer and musical innovator Chloe Tennant. Her exploration of electronic music is born out of a need to create, and due to a diagnosis of RSI, this only pushes Cholly further in that direction. Using samples of her own voice, or reshaping rudimentary performances on violin or keyboard, Cholly builds vast landscapes of electronica with the power of imagination.
It's this skill that Cholly continues to utilise on her experimental livestreams and personal jams. This gained attention from Scottish electronic label Werra Foxma, who offered her the chance to record her debut album back in September 2021. Cholly embarked on a process of creation the following year, even releasing some of that music as her EP ‘The Daydream’ in August 2022. Cholly began 2023 by releasing her single ‘Winter Scarf’, where she used samples of her cousin Sean’s voice, who passed away the previous year.
Going further back, we first wrote about the music of Cholly in 2020 for her singles ‘Adores’, ‘Sky High’ and ‘Good Angel’. Prior to the release of her ‘Friday Night’ collection in November 2021, we wrote about the singles ‘Opposite’ and ‘Stepping’ earlier that year. Werra Foxma released Cholly’s debut album, titled ‘Anomaly’ in May on vinyl and download and we’re delighted to be interviewing Cholly a third time at the conclusion of our review. ‘Anomaly’ begins boldly with its title track.
The album starts as if you were stumbling upon an event already in motion, like you were walking into a room where Cholly’s live set was already under way. ‘Anomaly’ is Cholly alright, but built better than before. Her experimental writing sessions while livestreaming have elevated Cholly to a higher calibre of electronic artistry, evident right away from all the sonic treats she plants in her arrangement here.
‘Looking in the mirror, making an acquaintance, feelings asymmetrical…’
A bed of atmosphere remains a constant as synths flit either side of the listener, and there is Cholly’s voice, as bright as ever in her lead. You can hear an example of her vocal sampling beneath that, as robotic backing vocals have the sound of being triggered on a keyboard. Percussion is distorted, and a sample of a male voice tells the listener, ‘I’m sorry’.
The demo for this song was recorded around 6am, when Cholly couldn’t sleep. Due to the nature of the hour, her cat wouldn’t leave her alone until he was fed. Inspiration struck and Cholly sampled his meow, eventually turning it into most of the synths that can be heard on this song.
‘Looking for something more…’
Alive in an echo chamber, Cholly’s voice reverberates off the tiles from the ‘Swindon Bathtub’. This track began with Cholly’s friend Lucas sending her a sample of an odd sound coming from the bathtub in a hotel room in Swindon where he was staying.
Distortion is prevalent throughout ‘Swindon Bathtub’, churning beneath the track, on the synths and in Cholly’s programmed percussion. This song’s theme is rooted in a lack of self-confidence and as Cholly describes, ‘a feeling of abandonment that you can’t express properly’. Cholly’s voice is more delicate here, as if she’s singing to a track far more sedate, but the combination is a stylistic choice that just works.
The music video for ‘Swindon Bathtub’ is shot and co-directed with Cholly by Conor Amos of The Zoomers, who also mixed the ‘Anomaly’ record. This video is something of an aftermath, a Part 2 to a visual far more bloody…
‘You’ll never go away, that’s what they said, they said…’
‘IDMY’ is a song about changing bad habits and throwing away unhealthy thought patterns. ‘IDMY’ is also Anomaly’s first single. The rhythmic introduction soundtracks the first verse, before Cholly brings in a punchy drum track and damning synths with a sinister air. ‘IDMY’ shows off Cholly’s arrangement skill as a songwriter and producer, of appropriate variation and repetition, of a greater attention to detail than a simple dance track. The overall mood of ‘IDMY’ reminds us of the synth leanings used in Nine Inch Nails’ ‘With Teeth’ album.
‘So long, so long, so long…’
The darker motif is expanded for the song’s music video, also created by Tennant and Amos. There’s blood on Cholly’s hands as she attempts to cover up a crime of deathly proportions, digging a grave and wiping a blade clean. Both keen videographers, Cholly’s music videos have always been homemade, but have always been slick. Go back two years and watch Cholly’s ‘Stepping’ video, a track taken from her ‘Friday Night’ project, and see for yourself.
‘Suddenly I feel my strength is gone.’
There’s an atmosphere in ‘Circles’, a darker presence that Cholly conjures in sampling her haunting, operatic voice, but reinforces it with her chord selection and sparser arrangement. Using reverb, her synth track becomes a distant percussive clank like a clock in an abandoned factory. ‘Circles’ evokes the icy mood of Goldfrapp’s year 2000 debut ‘Felt Mountain’, but with more bite.
‘Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me…’
One of the longer tracks on ‘Anomaly’, this is one that draws you in gradually. Cholly built her sound in this partly by plucking the strings of her violin and viola, then sampling that and adjusting it with resonators, distortion and automation. ‘Circles’ has big 80’s-esque drum fills, meditative lyrics, and a haunting sound, a highlight on ‘Anomaly’ for sure.
It’s clear that Cholly’s music has remix potential, and this was realised with The Zoomers producing their own version of this track. Reshaping Cholly’s voice with vocal shifting technology, Conor Amos rebuilds the track around her lead vocal, altering the genre with a drum and bass flavour.
‘Until I’ve let you down, I took too long…’
The tone shifts for ‘Conditions’, where Cholly samples her voice in a demented backing vocal arrangement, using her lower range to deliver the song’s lyric. The final track on the record’s A-Side is far too short, but it packs in a mood fuelled by the notion of conditional love. Cholly uses her drum programming to an advantage in elevating the song’s structure. The subsequent closing rhythm on ‘Conditions’ is infectious, featuring the sliced and diced weary refrain, ‘Just like everybody else…’
‘Polymorphic’ moves, with electronic percussion shaking either side of the main beat, a tom fill brings in Cholly’s voice - ‘Clinging to your comfort, don’t make me stand on my two feet.’ Cholly holds her voice elegantly when performing ‘Polymorphic’, writing fewer words, but giving greater emphasis to them, leading to Cholly’s best vocal performance on ‘Anomaly’.
‘Polymorphic’ evolved out of one of Cholly’s Twitch stream experimental jams. Being created in such an environment with an audience, this is a track that would be at home in Cholly’s live set. Beneath her lead, vocal samples are used as pulsing chords, while drums and percussion continue to play a big role. Along with a titled chorus, all these elements help to kick off Side B to ‘Anomaly’ perfectly.
Anyone else feel like the colour is being drained out of life? Cholly perfectly describes the interior of rented accommodation in ‘White, Beige, Magnolia’, a track like ‘Polymorphic’ that evolved from a Twitch stream experiment.
Opposite to that track though, Cholly’s voice here is borderline electronic in itself, moulded to be as digital as the music she’s made for it. The real subject of this song is the concept of daily routine and the dullness associated with it. This is reflected in Cholly’s production, absent of the heaviness present in some ‘Anomaly’ songs, and lacking the dance quality of others. What it does embody is Cholly’s talent for scene-setting and mood. You can feel the exhaustion of the grind in ‘White, Beige, Magnolia’.
On Cholly’s YouTube channel, you can hear a work-in-progress version of this song, dating from August 2021. Despite advising that it was neither mixed, mastered, nor even finished, there is a core idea here that is retained for the final version on ‘Anomaly’. It’s an insight into this artist’s creative process and would serve as an excellent B-Side if ‘White, Beige, Magnolia’ was to be put out as a single.
‘It’s 3 o’clock in the morning…’
‘Between’ reminds us of Grimes, of which Cholly is a fan. This is especially prevalent in Cholly’s pitched-up vocal sampling, and lead vocal performance. With this song following ‘White, Beige, Magnolia’, Side B of ‘Anomaly’ is most definitely a darker experience than its A-Side overall.
‘Between’ concerns the nature of intrusive thoughts, and how they morph the psyche, making an enemy of everyone around you despite knowing they’re doing their best to help you. This can lead to cyclic feelings of guilt, as expressed by Cholly early in the song, ‘I just want to be someone else’. This is why ‘Anomaly’ is an essential listening experience in Cholly’s oeuvre. it shows more than one side to her songwriting, and certainly another facet to this multi-dimensional artist.
‘Tell me a Story, don’t be afraid to tighten your grip, don’t spare the details, I wanna know how you really think.’
‘Anomaly’ closes with the epic ‘Story’, the longest song yet in the Cholly catalogue. Emerging from the emotional chokehold of ‘White, Beige, Magnolia’ and ‘Between’ is a statement about embracing the darker side of yourself, becoming less afraid, and exploring what that really means.
‘Tighten your grip.’
Cholly does this by taking her arrangement of this song to the next level. Where ‘Story’ could’ve finished halfway through, Cholly decides to add more, like an engine revving up. The tempo increases, both in the beat and the pace of vocal samples utilised. The track speeds past you unexpectantly in a whirlwind of synths, beeping and mutated voices, imploring the very idea Cholly evokes. As the pace slows at the very end, it’s as if a tense realisation overcomes Cholly’s character – what have I done?
No artist is simple, Cholly gives so much of herself artistically and emotionally to the creation of ‘Anomaly’. Her lyrics aren’t merely a vehicle for pushing her complex productions, they are of equal importance, a part of the entire experience. Together Cholly creates a visual narrative, whether there is a music video or not. Mood is incredibly important in her music, with darker lyrics matching an equally volatile musical landscape. In ‘Anomaly’, Cholly demonstrates herself as an artist hungry to create, but also one that is gaining momentum.
Continue reading for our Q&A with Cholly. We go back to Werra Foxma approaching Cholly to make ‘Anomaly’, ask about the video for ‘IDMY’ and dive into several of the album tracks and their origins. We also ask Cholly about AI technology, what she’s listening to in 2023 and much more!
1. It's September 2021 and you're at something of a crossroads when Werra Foxma contacted you to ask you about making an album for them. What were your doubts about putting this record together? How did you overcome that?
I didn't really believe I could put an album together. It had always seemed like a massive goal I'd never accomplish. I nearly said no, because the thought of agreeing to make an album when I didn't think I could do it was really scary. I was afraid of letting them down. Frazer from Werra Foxma was so encouraging and it sounded like he really believed I could do it, so I pushed past that feeling and said yes. I'm so glad I did!
2. It took seven months to make this record, is that seven months of solid work, or was this in addition to working full-time? It's an incredible achievement to do all of this in such a short amount of time.
This was 7 months of working on the album alongside a full-time job and freelance work. My partner Conor helped me put together a timetable with the songs I was going to work on and when I'd work on them. This helped him to arrange when he would mix tracks as well.
3. Did you complete 'Anomaly' entirely in your own environment or did Werra Foxma afford you to try some other spaces out? Tell me about your working environment.
'Anomaly' was made completely in my flat. The actual track 'Anomaly' was made in my living room, while I sat on the recliner chair. Alucard (my cat) was meowing away for his breakfast so I sampled him - most of the synth sounds in that track are him. We are lucky to have a spare room to dedicate to music projects also, which is where I do all my streams from. Some of the tracks were made during streams.
4. What was the moment where you realised, "This record is going to be called 'Anomaly'"?
It was when I made the song 'Anomaly'. It wasn't the first song I had made and I realised that the word fit with a lot of the themes I was going for.
Cholly, live at The Library Pub, Oxford - 13/05/2023
5. I love the story behind the origin of 'Swindon Bathtub', what made you want to name that track after its sample origin? Was that inspiring in itself to create the lyric?
I was originally going to call it 'Free', but I wasn't feeling it. I felt like naming it after the main sample used was a more interesting story - particularly as I'm from around the Swindon area, and the feeling the song is about is something I experienced a lot when I lived there (mainly due to anxiety and extremely low self-esteem). The lyrics are about rejection and fear of rejection/abandonment, and not being able to express this feeling properly, wishing you were somebody else (that person that is confidently doing all the things you would love to do). I've always found it very hard to express any feelings in a way that makes sense or comes across well enough to make progress. My emotions are quite overwhelming at points and the safest way to express them is through music. Now as I've written all this, I realise I've misread the second question! I suppose, in a way, it did inspire me a little to create the lyrics, but mainly it was written by a sensitivity to rejection.
6. The video for 'IDMY' is especially murderous, what did they do to piss you off?
The video for this song is to portray the new me murdering the old me (the one with the flaws, unhealthy thought patterns and low self-esteem). I find if you make changes in your life you can be confident that the old you is never coming back, but there will always be flickers.
7. I'm taken by the sound of 'Conditions', is that one inspired by situations you've been in?
'Conditions' is about falling into the trap of doing things to please others, but nothing being enough, so it's like the friendship is conditional. I am sure most people have been in that kind of situation at least once!
8. 'White, Beige, Magnolia' is highly relatable. What's one thing that needs to change about the world we live in right now?
I think the world we live in now is not a healthy one. It feeds burn-out and there's not enough help for people that desperately need it. It's easy to get sucked into a depression because day to day life (expectations, high cost of living, not having time to stop for a moment) is like an incubator for it.
9. 'Story' is a phenomenal way to end this album. How did that one come together?
I decided to start experimenting after the first part when I wasn't sure where it was going to go. I usually worry about songs being too long, but I realised that I actually really like long, progressive tracks. So I went with the flow on that one.
Cholly recording for the Shed Sessions podcast, available to listen on Spotify.
10. Of course, Werra Foxma has pressed this album to vinyl. How does it feel to finally have your music immortalised on that format?
I didn't think that this would ever happen for me and my music. It was a dream I didn't even let myself have, so I still can't quite believe it's actually happened.
11. Last summer you also released your EP ‘The Daydream’, was this recorded concurrently with ‘Anomaly’? Or was the album finished already and that was a new project?
The album was already finished at that point, but there were a few tracks I started during making the album that I felt didn't fit. A couple of those ended up on 'The Daydream'!
12. Were there any other songs you wrote or recorded during the making of 'Anomaly' that didn't make the cut? I know your improvisations yield a lot of ideas!
There are a lot of unfinished projects on my computer. I couldn't tell you which ones were related to 'Anomaly' and which ones weren't, because it's all a blur.
13. Everyone's reading a lot about AI technology right now, what are your feelings towards the use of AI in the world of music?
I haven't looked into AI in music much. I don't really understand the need, because to me, music is something you use to express yourself. I suppose you could use AI to help express yourself. I'm not sure if I know enough to comment! I might be avoiding the topic a tad.
14. It's been a while since we last interviewed you! What have you been listening to in 2023?
I can't remember what I said I was listening to before, but I might be listening to similar. I have been listening to Four Tet, Lydmor, Bonobo, Yaeji, Rival Consoles, Enya, lots of drum and bass. The list goes on for a bit.
15. I'm gathering that Werra Foxma are happy! Are you doing more work together?
They seem it! I'm not sure at the moment, but I wouldn't say no. The label is run by lovely people that care so much about artists and music. I am on the line up for WFR London and WFR Central - these are both festivals that Werra Foxma have set up.
--------
Purchase ‘Anomaly’, the debut album from Cholly on download or vinyl from her Bandcamp page here.
Follow Cholly on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch @chollymusic.
--------
Follow and interact with Moths and Giraffes on Instagram and Facebook @mothsandgiraffes, and on Twitter @mothsgiraffes.
We have a Spotify Playlist! Featuring almost every artist we've written about on Moths and Giraffes, find some new music here.
For submissions, or if you’d just like to send us your thoughts, don’t hesitate to contact us via our social media accounts, our contact page, or via email at mothsandgiraffes@outlook.com. We receive a lot of emails though, so please bear with us!
--------
Do you like what you heard here? Then check out the music from these artists we’ve written about!
