CHROMA announce their new album (out in April) with a bang as they release the single ‘Straight Men’ which tackles the attitude of men towards women head-on. The song asks men to have a word with other men about their behaviour. The band say,
“When we started writing ‘Straight Men’, it all started as a bit of a laugh in all honesty,” continues Hall. “I have a group of gay men outside a nightclub to thank for the hook ‘I’m really fucking scared of straight men’. It stuck with me for a while as I couldn’t quite shake it off. I think about the term ‘straight men’ and the feelings that arise, and how we really need to do better to achieve a shift in culture and change the universal experience that too many people face each day. If you sit by while your friend is being intimidating and outright inappropriate, you’re complicit in their behaviour. Call it out.”
“That said, I’m grateful to have some amazing men in my life who have kept me safe and are so supportive. I grew up with two older brothers who always have my back no matter what. Additionally, bandmates Zac and Liam, our manager, Jim, and Jack at Alcopop! Records. Of course I’m lucky to have my incredible partner, Connor too. The straight men I have in my life are lush.”
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde ‘Champagne to the real men, and real pain to the sham men’. It’s a sad state of affairs when fear breeds anger and the tension of this dilemma is perfectly caught in the lyrical mantra that runs throughout the song:
Straight men,
I’m scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
I’m scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
I’m scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
I’m scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
Scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
I’m scared of them.
They’re scared of me.
I’m scared of them.
I’m really fucking scard
Of straight men.
The video is set in St Joseph’s Boxing Gym, Newport, and as you would expect from CHROMA they come out of their corner swinging with Zac Mather punishing his drum kit and the heft of Liam Bevan doubling bass and guitar lines to create a wall of glam rock power dialled up to 11. Knockout riffs and driving rhythms underpin the lyrics which are sung by KT Hall straining at the edge of her range with an amazing vocal performance that is part sneer, part fear.
April can’t come soon enough to hear the new album, and you can also catch CHROMA live in support of the release. Dates below.
CHROMA will release the album 25 Forever on 17 April 2026 via Alcopop! Records, pre-order here.
CHROMA: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Website
16 April 2026 – Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff
17 April 2026 – Hyde Park Book Club – Leeds
18 April 2026 – Rat & Pigeon – Manchester
22 April 2026 – Old Blue Last – London
23 April 2026 – Heartbreakers – Southampton
7–9 May 2026 – FOCUS Wales – Wrexham
Ticket Link here.
Review by Paul F Cook
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