Chloe Kimes' Debut Album
I might be three years late to the party, but the party is only just getting started. CK is a real one.
I wrote a few months ago about Chloe’s 2025 singles, which surely point to a second album at some point in 2026. I recently met her at Oslo Hackney after her London show on Thanksgiving, and managed to grab her self-titled debut album on vinyl. So here goes!
Thunder
There’s a relatively traditional country feel to this 2022 album, but always with a wink and a humorous line. The humour is more to the front in 2025, but I am really enjoying this album which is a top quality debut.
Thunder also kicked off the set on the recent UK tour. This is one of Chloe’s best and most accessible tracks, and not only on this album. It has sweet moments but also anger. We see both sides. I always knew the tough girl routine was just an act anyway.
If I call you after midnight, I just dialled the wrong number… as if! It sounds like a relationship that is fading away, but it’s not what the singer wants at all. The staccato of thunder runs through this brilliant opener, and the loud weather is also keeping her awake.
Well I’ve gotten pretty good at the tough girl act
Tired of everybody feeling sorry for my ass
So if you think that you’ve seen a girl that’s showing her hand
I’m sorry, please don’t misunderstand
Atticus
This one really stuck with me this summer. It’s an unusual name, Atticus, unheard of in England. It comes with a certain humour. Could he be a real person? They’re in a covers bar. I am starting to get a sense that Atticus doesn’t really exist. Her memory is hazy.
No Cigar
Yes, Chloe is perhaps best-known for her song about Coors Light beer. I’m sure she’s okay with that. It got the biggest reception in London. But she also sings about whiskey and cigars too, other country symbols. I really enjoyed No Cigar. She’s keeping things clean and tidy but still didn’t quite manage to win the guy. All she has left is a case of beer to remember him by. Oh, he’s a musician. Will she ever learn? I found this the saddest song on the album. Is there anything sadder than an orphan case of beer?
When You’re Gone
He’s only going away for a weekend but she will still miss him. Oh man, he’s a musician too! He’s touring all over the country. If you need further convincing, she loves Neil Young’s chords. She has great taste. This is the blues but Kimes style.
In the Meantime
This one really is a break-up song but she’s not totally over him. I’m really enjoying this album as we reach the end of Side A. It’s so different from Chloe’s 2025 work. Although it was the hilarity of Uh Huh and Afraid To Die that first caught my attention her 2022 debut shows her range. The Kimes can pretty much handle any material. Is she happier now or just playing a different role? She certainly seems to be loving life when she performs.
Still Going With You
Chloe played this live in London and it opens Side B. It chugs along nicely and is an instantly likeable song. There seem to be quite a few downsides to her current relationship, but at least she’s hanging in there. This is one of the many songs that really highlight Chloe’s sense of humour and ear for a catchy hook. Chloe isn’t shy of a well-timed fuck. I try not to have favourites, not in my reviews. But I can say I play this and Thunder a lot.
Untitled
A more wistful track, reflective, but not without a shotgun. Is this as close as the album gets to a pure love song? Is that why she doesn’t want to give it a name? Normally in a country song there’s a twist or two. She’s finding herself a little tongue-tied. I think this is confused Chloe: she’s not used to feeling this way and it’s a little unsettling.
Roasted Peppers
Don’t worry, it’s only a bottle of wine. Not whiskey this time! Although she still drank every drop. She’s going to make Brownies first thing though so things are looking up. But will there be anyone to eat them with? This was the moment I worried that the brash Chloe, fun Chloe, is slipping away. Nobody can be up all the time.
Olivia
I’m not sure if Olivia is a real person, but Chloe speaks very highly of her. Is she a baby, a younger sister? Olivia is either a sibling or a very close childhood friend. Side B is much more reflective. It’s a proper old-school album with two distinct sides.
Stand to Gain
There is a definite feel to Chloe’s music that I called ‘outdoorsy’ last time. Once you know she’s from the lakes of Michigan, and you hear that pedal steel and fiddle, it makes sense to imagine her fishing in the river, hiking up a mountain… this truly is country music at its best. This was the last song she played in London and really represents her range: it’s very different to 2025’s side-splitters. It’s about family and the important things in life. The drink is only coffee this time.
This river where you caught me
I was just drinking my coffee
I was just finding my own way
You seem to think that I’m confused
A helpless bird that′s soft and bruised and used
And all I could use is you out of my way
Encore
It’s worth stepping back a little to mention family, an important concept in country music, and specifically important to Chloe too. She spoke between songs of being thankful and grateful for so many things in her life. Yes, the show was on Thanksgiving, but she was making some wider points. I didn’t know it until later, but it was her sister Megan we were chatting to on the merch stand. The next day, her dad commented on my Instagram post about the show. She has a very talented and supportive family.
This is a really challenging career and yet it is just that little bit easier knowing that your family are behind you. I have recently watched the new Led Zeppelin documentary and it seems that not only were Robert Plant’s family not supportive of his music career, but John Bonham’s wife took an instant and profound dislike to him as well!
Chloe was the support artist last week and she instantly won over the whole room with her infectious enthusiasm and evident talent. I hope they loved her as much as I do. If you scroll down a little you will also find an EP called Apothecary.
Chloe’s website has all the information you need and she is a regular on both Instagram and TikTok. She is on tour again this month from Saturday 6th December and there are still tickets available. Chloe is completely independent so head on over to Bandcamp!
Kirke & Kimes in London
I thought I had seen and written it all before. I’d read the book, played Trailblazer to destruction, including the deluxe edition. My wife had made me watch a bit of Girls. I had re-listened to All Right Now. I was at Sinners in an actual cinema and watched it twice. I had become determined to out-research myself. I have seen 100% of the
Chloe Kimes
The first time I ever heard the name Chloe Kimes was here in a reel, and believe me, it took a long time to find such an old post. One of the reasons I love country, and maybe you do, is the sense of enjoyment and fun in so many of the tracks.
