There’s an undeniable sense of unpredictability running through “Chasing Rats, Polly”, the latest single from Late Stay Ultra Girls. The solo project of Bristol multi-instrumentalist Tim Burden, the track refuses to settle into a single identity, instead embracing contradiction at every turn. What begins as an off-kilter indie groove gradually mutates into something far grander, making for a listening experience that’s equal parts infectious and disorientating.
From the opening moments, Burden establishes a restless energy. Barrel-house piano dances around motorik rhythms while wiry guitars and synth textures constantly shift beneath the surface, creating a groove that feels deliberately unstable. The arrangement has an effortless swagger, but there’s always the feeling that it’s on the verge of coming apart. Rather than chasing polish, Chasing Rats, Polly thrives on controlled chaos.
Lyrically, Burden explores the fragile line between confidence and performance. The song examines the ways people exaggerate, reinvent themselves and bend reality in pursuit of approval, capturing the uncomfortable gap between who we are and who we want others to believe we are. Even the cryptic title and recurring address to the mysterious “Polly” add to the song’s surreal quality, feeling less like a traditional narrative and more like fragments of an anxious internal monologue stitched together through vivid imagery and sharp observations.
What truly elevates the single, however, is its fearless structure. For much of its runtime, “Chasing Rats, Polly” leans into a danceable post-punk pulse, full of angular hooks and kinetic momentum. Then, almost without warning, the song shifts gears entirely. The tight, rhythmic foundation gives way to soaring guitars, expansive instrumentation and haunting vocal layers, transforming the closing section into something that feels cinematic in scale. Drawing subtle inspiration from classic ’70s rock without sounding nostalgic, the finale is both cathartic and unsettling, providing an emotional payoff that rewards the song’s earlier tension.
Burden’s eclectic musical background is evident throughout, but “Chasing Rats, Polly” never feels like a collage of influences. While echoes of art rock, post-punk and glam can certainly be heard, the song ultimately succeeds because it filters those inspirations through a distinctly individual lens. Every unexpected turn feels intentional, every stylistic detour serving the broader emotional arc rather than existing for novelty alone.
As the second release under the Late Stay Ultra Girls banner, “Chasing Rats, Polly” suggests Burden has found a creative outlet where experimentation and accessibility can comfortably coexist. It’s messy without being unfocused, ambitious without becoming indulgent, and unconventional while remaining surprisingly memorable. In a landscape where so much alternative music follows familiar formulas, this is a track that confidently steps sideways instead of forwards and is all the more compelling for it.
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