Local Review: Tampa Chess Club — All But If Not All, Subject To Change

Tampa Chess Club
All But If Not All, Subject To Change
Self-Released
Street: 06.27.2026
Tampa Chess Club = Teen Suicide + Title Fight

Tampa Chess Club is an emo-adjacent three-piece based out of Salt Lake City, Utah who has just released their debut album — and it’s excellent. In classic emo fashion, it’s full of descriptions of the kinds of volatile emotions and thoughts that inspire much of the genre’s greatest. The sonic layers within each track genuinely blew me away. Listening to the record with headphones was a blessing, as each song had space for every single instrument, every vocal and anything else the band threw in.

The record opens with “Trying To Construct Your Life Out Of Things Found In Gift Shops” — a strong opener, complete with an atmospheric introduction that launches into stable guitar, prominent drumming and basslines that serve as an unflinching anchor throughout the track’s runtime. The opening lyrics of, “It’s not just what you say, it’s how you came across / I can’t bear to talk or to take your calls” waste no time and should get any and all fans of bands like Free Throw, Joyce Manor or local emo legends Camp Ghost and Melancholy Club into the pit, two-stepping their hearts out. 

The record’s lead single “Schrödinger’s Cat” follows, and again, wastes no time establishing a punchy instrumental. Chords and a really snappy snare drum immediately grab your attention before the toms and cymbals come in and really work to elevate the strained, evocative vocal delivery. All these elements work to bring the track all together into this excellent slow-burn finish around the two minute mark before leading into track three, “What’s Your Favorite Eeveelution.” 

The song starts as a beautiful, spacious acoustic track complete with lyrics like, “I’m overly sincere, and waiting by the water / So stuck with all my fears, you’re stuck with all your close friends / Do I stand or walk astray,” ahead of an excellent call-and-response chorus that’s adorned with echoes of backing vocals all saying, “Just stuck in one place / Stuck in one place / And I just can’t walk away / I don’t want to fear.” During the track’s chorus, the instrumental grows much larger and heavier, really increasing the weight of the vocals as they’re performed during the chorus — it’s really great stuff to hear recorded, and it’s a favorite of mine from the record.

Track six “Drill Sounds” opens with Saul (Bob Odenkirk) in Better Call Saul begging Kim (Rhea Seehorn) to let him change, and I mean, what else do you need to hear? One of the show’s most emotional moments backed by these gorgeous atmospheric notes is an absolute heater of an introduction. This track is also home to the most intense vocals on the record, and I love the band’s choice of using a relatively minimal instrumental in order for the aforementioned introduction and subsequent verses to really stand on their own.

Tampa Chess Club does not sound like a band that’s only existed for a year and some change, and this release is not only impressive on its own for the band, but also representative of how diverse, talented and capable Salt Lake City’s emo/emo-adjacent music scenes run. Ultimately, from me to Tampa Chess Club: kudos. This is a special release, and it’s one that I’ve been fortunate enough to hear live, but I cannot wait to catch the next show and additional subsequent releases from this project. —Hans Magleby

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