It’s been so long (10 years) since last we met with the Georgetown Chimes for a full-length album. Thankfully, this year, Georgetown’s oldest a cappella group has blessed us with Desperate Chimes, Desperate Measures (2026), which features a tracklist of 23 barbershop classics and modern ballads. It’s a daring tracklist, but the Chimes always make the risk worth the reward.
Their cover of “Go the Distance” from Disney’s Hercules (1997) is emblematic of the confidence the Chimes had in assembling the track list for Desperate Chimes. “I want” songs, a Disney staple where the protagonist proclaims their forbidden yet irresistible desires, often work well when an a cappella group can deliver a more confident cover than the original. For the Chimes’ rendition of “Go the Distance,” Christian Kim (CAS ’25, GRAD ’26) takes on the role of a more confident young Hercules who can convert misunderstood physical strength into vocal prowess.
Other songs are risky to cover simply because they’ve had staying power for generations. For example, “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) is likely the only song that Audrey Hepburn, Frank Ocean, and the Georgetown Chimes could ever have in common. Each version offers something unique—Audrey Hepburn’s could make anyone swoon with its delicate simplicity, while Frank Ocean’s discordant harmonies welcome feelings of wanderlust. In the Chimes’ take, the swinging harmonies sound as if an older Disney Studios had hired the group to sing backup on a riverboat adventure. Despite traveling in risky waters, the Chimes still ride the river to a safe destination.
The Chimes treat “Irish Blessing” with the gentle, kind care usually reserved for antique glassware. Boasting the clearest production on the record, the sonic clarity unfolds like a small musical staircase with every bridging harmony gently stepping up. The group wisely chooses to lean into restraint on this storied, cultured song of the barbershop scene, letting the blend do the work.
The Chimes also maintain their vocal control despite crafting difficult vocal arrangements, preventing their barbershop from becoming a butcher shop. Little could be worse than some pitchy tenor belting out “All I Ask” by Adele, until he finally gives up and turns the high D5 note into a mere squeak. That hypothetical disaster couldn’t be further from what the Chimes accomplished with their cover of Adele’s classic power ballad. Alex Du (SFS ’25) successfully croons his way through an unforgiving song with a crystal clear vibrato. No one can quite be Adele, but his tone alone makes for a solid homage to the legendary singer.
Next, the Chimes take a bold swing at Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” a song also known for being vocally acrobatic and consistently avoided by tenor vocalists. However, this moment on the record is a creative and compositional high point for the group. The Chimes provide a looser arrangement and interpretation of Queen’s harmonies, while still preserving the gospel-like call-and-response elements and the galloping momentum to Freddie Mercury’s familiar falsetto climax. Towards the end of the track, the soloist, Kim, goes in for the iconic solo belt with admirable nerve. The track then strays from the original, adding harmonies for a restrained yet satisfying finish that makes the cover feel less like a tribute act and more like the Chimes claiming the song as their own.
“The Parting Glass” stands out due to its lead, specifically in the middle of the arrangement’s “sandwich,” where the vocal chorus sounds large and immersive through rich doubled harmonies. The captivating performance is in part due to the quivering phrasing that flickers between formal barbershop diction and a more relaxed delivery with softer or blurred words. This push-and-pull effect gives the track an oddly modern feel, painting a picture of a ’90s power pop frontman wandering into a barbershop quartet on a whim.
Without the luxury of studio polish, the production takes a slight dip on the several live recordings on the LP when compared to the crystal-clear studio cuts, though not to any fault of the singers. Among the tracks, “It is Well With My Soul” stands out for its graceful harmonic composition, which sounds straight out of a lost Brian Wilson Beach Boys composition.
The record eventually circles back to campus with a live rendition of Georgetown’s fight song. The Chimes hold on to tradition, imbuing the song with even more emotion and grit than a student section in a packed gym. They are just as dedicated as they have been throughout the album—but this time, they are playing in familiar territory. The live setting gives the performance an extra spark, as the harmonies carry the familiar melody with a sense of proud ease. It’s a fitting way to close the record—bringing the Chimes and their listeners right back home to Georgetown.
