“Paying Back the Devil” is the kind of song that makes you lose your mind and go “oh shit” right from the top. It’s top-notch rock in an entirely new sound. There’s no one else in the scene that’s doing what they’re doing it. A bit bizarre, more abstract than the previous. With a hint of retro, but in a way it’s futuristic. With What Happened to the Boy Next Door?, Chips & The Charge Ups give you some very interesting music to ponder upon. When you hear them, you just know they are going to be the next big thing in rock. The only people who don’t know are the ones asleep.

“Maleena Made Us Change the Name of This Song to Fit in with the Pop-Punk Community” is punk music in the new era. It’s genre-crashing. A bit of surf, and a bit of emo, and a bit of pop. Even smashing into metal at some point, but the ruthlessness and rebelliousness, to hell of traditions is double doses of punk authenticity. Chip & The Charge Ups literally just blow the genre wide open with this one.

“Ultra-Legendary” gives you teeth-grinding grittiness and nastiness, spilling something raw and pure. “Sideways Middle Finger” gives out a cult-gathering vibe. It’s something that can’t be described. It’s mysteriously hard-hitting and contagious. Once you start playing this song, you just can’t ever put a stop to it.

“Welcome to the Neighborhood” ends the album with a stadium filler and a bang. It’s a different kind of rad feeling that makes you tear up. It’s stirringly beautiful and leaves a memorable ring in your ears.

We had the chance to chat with vocalist/guitarist Chip Dominick from the band. Read our interview with Chip and learn more about this record.

Punk Head: I'm very intrigued by What Happened to the Boy Next Door and your innovative, genre-bending sound. Can you tell us more about the story behind this album?

Chip Dominick: We had a bit of a line up change in 2022, going from a four-piece to a trio. Out were a drummer and guitarist and in was our new drummer, Nolan Allen. Right from the get-go, we were ready to start onboarding new original songs. I had 26 written and demoed and the three of us had a listening party, where we took notes on each song and gave each a numerical rating. What we ended up with was a collection of seven songs that we all agreed were top-notch, with six fitting very well together and sharing that genre-bending characteristic you mentioned. Overall, it gave our music a heavier, nastier sound than our previous releases, which was one of the reasons we thought What Happened to the Boy Next Door? would be a good album title!

PH: Which song(s) from the album do you think best represents your artistic vision?

Dominick: I think they all collectively represent our artistic vision. But, I particularly love how "Maleena Made Us Change the Name of this Song to Fit in with the Pop-Punk Community" goes from the poppiest of pop-punk to the moshiest metal and back again. I can see us building on things like that to further ingrain our identity in the future.

PH: What has been one of the most significant moments of your musical journey so far?

Dominick: We have had so many back-to-back-to-back since we finished the album. Our album got a rare 10/10 review in one of the world's most prestigious music magazines. Our song, "Paying Back the Devil," got added to regular rotation on the biggest rock station in our city. We were just guests on a hugely popular network TV talk show. And, I got a call about performing the biggest show of our lives, which we will be announcing soon. I think all of those events can be combined into an unbelievable "moment" that we are experiencing right now!

PH: What first got you into music?

Dominick: My brother introduced me to Led Zeppelin when I was 13. From that point on, I wanted to write be like Jimmy Page and write the most memorable rock riffs of all time as he has.

PH: What has been, so far, your favorite song to perform and why?

Dominick: My favorite has been "Paying Back the Devil." Looking out at people's faces and seeing them recognize it from hearing it on the radio or seeing the video is a rad feeling