Role Model - Chuck Timely & The Hourglass (Album Review)
Thursday, 20 August 2026
Written by Laura Mills
Photo: Chloe Chippendale
Role Model’s ‘Chuck Timely & The Hourglass’ is less about reinvention and more about refining what he’s already built: a communal, warm indie-rock-folk sound carried by strong vocals and quietly aching lyrics. The album may be similar in certain respects to Tucker Pillsbury’s earlier releases but it’s clear this is a natural progression from 2024’s ‘Kansas Anymore’, getting closer to offering a blueprint for future work.
Chuck Mantra opens with gospel lift and some of Pillsbury’s strongest vocals yet. High Hopes 3000 follows with a chant-heavy bridge and a sense of reaching for something just out of your grasp. Song Is All You Get is almost Losing My Religion-coded, with a loose instrumental that feels like a jam session.
Love I You slows the pace down, but the highlight is Pillsbury’s now-ex Dakota Johnson’s brilliant feature in the bridge — here she is flirtatious, romantic and enticing, having listeners hanging on her every word.
Then comes Joy, the album’s star attraction. It’s rockier and more pointed, its chorus riff cutting through alongside the line: “Won’t you come a little closer? / You’re so far away.” Its bridge is built to be taken up by a live crowd — its construction ensures you can’t help but join in.
The back half of the LP moves through something slightly more stripped back. Service Receipt presents themes of pleading intensity, while Honeydew and Stain stand apart as particularly intimate and directed as someone, rather than conforming to Pillsbury’s usual style of storytelling. A cohesive, heartfelt record that orbits a truly special song.
Role Model Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed September 09 2026 - BEND Oregon - Hayden Homes Amphitheater (USA)
Fri September 11 2026 - SEATTLE Washington - WaMu Theater at Lumen Field Event Complex - Complex (USA)
Sat September 12 2026 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Freedom Mobile Arch (formerly PNE Amphitheatre) (Canada)
Tue September 15 2026 - SANDY Utah - Beddys Plaza at America First Field - Complex (USA)
Wed September 16 2026 - DENVER Colorado - Red Rocks Amphitheatre (USA)
Fri September 18 2026 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - Armory Minneapolis (USA)
Sat September 19 2026 - CHICAGO Illinois - Fairgrounds (Outdoors) at The Salt Shed - Complex (USA)
Sun September 20 2026 - CHICAGO Illinois - Fairgrounds (Outdoors) at The Salt Shed - Complex (USA)
Tue September 22 2026 - WASHINGTON District of Columbia - Anthem (USA)
Wed September 23 2026 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Highmark Skyline Stage at the Mann (USA)
Fri September 25 2026 - NEW YORK New York - Radio City Music Hall (USA)
Sat September 26 2026 - NEW YORK New York - Radio City Music Hall (USA)
Sun September 27 2026 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Leader Bank Pavilion (USA)
Wed September 30 2026 - STERLING HEIGHTS Michigan - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill (USA)
Thu October 01 2026 - PITTSBURGH Pennsylvania - Citizens Live at The Wylie (USA)
Sat October 03 2026 - ATLANTA Georgia - Synovus Bank Amphitheater (formerly Cadence Bank Amphitheatre) at Chastain Park (USA)
Sun October 04 2026 - NASHVILLE Tennessee - Truth (USA)
Tue October 06 2026 - HOUSTON Texas - 713 Music Hall (USA)
Wed October 07 2026 - AUSTIN Texas - Moody Amphitheater (USA)
Fri October 09 2026 - IRVING Texas - Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (USA)
Sat October 10 2026 - OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma - Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre (USA)
Mon October 12 2026 - PHOENIX Arizona - Arizona Financial Theatre (USA)
Tue October 13 2026 - SAN DIEGO California - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (USA)
Thu October 15 2026 - LOS ANGELES California - Greek Theatre Los Angeles (USA)
Fri October 16 2026 - LOS ANGELES California - Greek Theatre Los Angeles (USA)
Sun October 18 2026 - BERKELEY California - Greek Theatre Berkeley at Cal Performances - Complex (USA)
Thu February 11 2027 - BERLIN Tempodrom (Germany)
Sat February 13 2027 - AMSTERDAM AFAS Live (Netherlands)
Sun February 14 2027 - AMSTERDAM AFAS Live (Netherlands)
Mon February 15 2027 - BRUSSELS Forest National (Belgium)
Wed February 17 2027 - DUSSELDORF Mitsubishi Electric HALLE (Germany)
Fri February 19 2027 - PARIS Zenith La Villette (France)
Mon February 22 2027 - DUBLIN 3Arena
Wed February 24 2027 - LONDON OVO Arena Wembley
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