Chuck Timely and The Hourglass
Written by: Bhavya Natarajan
Graphic by: Daisy Martinez
Saint Laurent Cowboy strikes again! Tucker Pillsbury, who goes by the stage name ROLE
MODEL, recently released Chuck Timely & The Hourglass. He stated in an interview with
Rolling Stone that he wanted to bring back a heartland rock feel with this album, and he
definitely stayed faithful to that vision.
This album has a sort of blast-from-the-past feel to it, which makes thematic sense considering
that the alter ego Pillsbury chose to portray: Chuck Timely, a time traveling guy who represents
this journey through time. The sonics are very evidently inspired by decades-old musical icons
and there’s a lot of stylistic influence coming from Elton John-style glam rock. The album was
also recorded alongside live instrumentation giving it this vintage and authentic quality to it.
Chuck Timely also features Springsteen-esque lyricism, with narrative storytelling that reminds
me of Simon & Garfunkel. A majority of the live instrumentation incorporates banjos, 12-string
guitars, sitars, glockenspiels, and piano, playing heavily into an Americana aesthetic. It really
does accomplish everything he said it would, and definitely does feel like something you could
hear from a dive-bar jukebox. As an artist, Pillsbury has gone through several genre shifts
throughout his career, and this album might just be his best work yet. His previous record,
Kansas Anymore, had a much more personal, autobiographical feel supported by an indie-folk
sound, but Chuck Timely dives headfirst into full Americana.
The album cover helps move the character’s story along, establishing Timely as this guy who
can’t progress the way others in his life have. The cover depicts him drinking a beer while a
freshly married couple judges him—an idea that came from Pillsbury’s own feeling of being
stuck and watching time pass by, after being single for two straight years. The songs feature
these choir-like harmonies, especially prominent in the opening track, “Chuck’s Mantra,” which
serves as an affirmation that it’s okay for time to pass because good things will eventually follow,
establishing the core message of the album.
The dive-bar jukebox feel is an idea almost every track stays true to, with nearly every song
featuring Timely drinking and meeting a girl. While the album isn’t fully committed to being a
strict concept record, this actually works in ROLE MODEL's favor; his relatability to the message
of the songs even while being out-of-character adds to how authentic it is.
Track five, “Love I You,” features dialogue from Dakota Johnson—who was spontaneously
featured when she visited the studio one day, which he revealed in an interview with
NYLON—who he begs to stick around or come home with him. While the idea of Chuck Timely
feels annoying, considering it’s about a guy whining about how single he is and begging girls to
stay, the sonics and songwriting elevate it to feel deeper than that. It creates this energy of
genuine longing and self-reflection, hinting at some underlying flaw or fear within him.
“Stain” proves this to be true, with lyrics like “there’s nothing fun in feeling like a backup plan” or
"It's a stain that I’ll never get out,” revealing that a past relationship has left this emotional impact
on him that he’s finally working through and growing from.
The penultimate track, “The Wedding,” reinforces this feeling of longing, co-written by Mason
Stoops and Taylor Mackall alongside Pillsbury. It’s spoken from a fresh perspective that didn't
exist in earlier tracks. Rather than the irresponsible, fun-loving drinker who sleeps around, he
experiences an enlightening moment where he considers long-term commitment. He realizes
his previous lifestyle wasn't a sustainable end goal and begins to envision what he actually
wants out of love, relationships, and life. The passage of time shifts from something he fears,
into something to be grateful for, because through it, he can achieve what once seemed like a
fantasy.
The final track, “Harmony,” closes out the record with hopefulness and freedom. Opening with a
declaration of sobriety, lines like "Hope has got a funny way / of showing up way too late / But
now I feel like it all makes sense" express his emotional growth and the realization that his
former lifestyle was only providing temporary satisfaction. The song also uses the passage of
time as a clever device, talking about how many years it took for him to open his eyes, with a
nostalgic closing, “bringing [him] back // a little less lonely.”
Overall, this album isn’t the most original thing in the world, save for the concept, and isn’t a
10/10 at every corner. But, the passion and dedication to music Pillsbury has definitely makes it
clear how heartfelt it is, which makes this charming album one of his best. For playing so many
roles, Role Model sure gets authentic with this one.