By Sean McCall | Posted Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Chill/hilarious is a 2-piece indie band from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The band consists of Zayna Youssef and Jack Meidel. They are a DIY band who recorded their own music. Zayna plays drums and sings, while Jack is on guitar and making the band's recordings possible. chill/hilarious’s bio is: “she plays, he plays, she sings,” which pretty much wraps up their two-piece vibe perfectly.
Their most recent release, “21&colder” was recorded by their guitarist, Jack Meidel, and Chris Kearney, who is in Jack's other emo-band from NJ, Aw Shucks. 21&colder was recorded at PKD studio in Springfield, PA.
The first song on the EP is titled “Make Leaf,” which opens with a solid jam for the first minute or so of the song. It introduces their heavier, more dynamic aspect of the instrumentation. When the vocals came in, it immediately brought the dynamic level down to an intimacy with their vocalist, Zayna. My favorite line in this song was “Yeah, I know you’re showing off, that's kinda- lame.” I love the musical breaks of stops in this song, and this part left only the “lame” to be heard in the vocals which really caught my attention before ending with another instrumental jam at the end. Definitely a great short and sweet start to the EP.
The second song, “Greengrass,” immediately opens up with a lot of energy and a great hook. A minute or so into the song, they bring the dynamics down again and make the vocals super prominent and intimate again. I feel as though this song is talking about striving for change and just an all-around self-perspective. I really like how they continue to reintroduce the instrumental breaks and jam endings.
The third song is titled, “Ice Water,” and the vocal melodies in this song really reminded me of Anthony Green almost mixed with Title Fight which is super interesting and catches your ear for sure. This is another short track that holds a lot of emotions.
The record closes with “The Outcome” which is definitely one of my personal favorites. The lyrics are very genuine and the music is simply catchy. I believe the lyrics in this song deal with holding in something that is true to you without question -- that other people or society around you makes you feel wrong for. The line “caught in a lie that I can’t help this time, why should I?” is super powerful. I love how this song makes you feel hopeful and almost joyful. It’s an awesome feeling to step out of your shell, and this song portrays that perfectly.
Overall, this record is powerful and pure. It’s short, and leaves you wanting more, which is an awesome thing to be able to do for the listener. There’s a lot of talent that goes into this 2-piece, and I strongly advise you check them out.
If you’re looking for a place to start, the intro song, “Make Leaf,” is great, and “The Outcome” is my personal favorite.