{"id":2081743,"date":"2026-08-06T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2081743"},"modified":"2026-08-06T09:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:00:46","slug":"role-model-chuck-timely-the-hourglass-review-a-super-smooth-depiction-of-singledom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2081743","title":{"rendered":"Role Model \u2013 \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; The Hourglass\u2019 review: a super-smooth depiction of singledom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Role-Model-Credit-Chloe-Chippendale.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Role-Model-Credit-Chloe-Chippendale-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Role Model Chuck Timely Artwork Review\" title=\"Role Model Credit Chloe Chippendale\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Role Model. Credit: Chloe Chippendale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Role Model \u2013 \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; The Hourglass\u2019 review: a super-smooth depiction of singledom<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The 29-year-old ditches self-obsession for slickly produced Americana on a likeable album that\u2019s named after (checks notes) a time traveller looking for love<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">3<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Jordan Bassett<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-06T10:00:46+01:00\">6th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Last year saw Role Model, one of pop\u2019s great over-sharers, finish up shooting the new Lena Dunham movie, <i>Good Sex<\/i>. The filmmaker is, of course, no stranger to spilling the beans herself. Just <i>imagine<\/i> the small talk they made on set.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: iKeda is building her own world full of bubbly electropop gold<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It remains to be seen how the 29-year-old singer-songwriter \u2013 aka Tucker Pillsbury \u2013 fares in his first-ever acting gig, but the whole make-believe thing seems to have rubbed off on him. Where the Maine-born and LA-based musician\u2019s previous two albums found him baring his soul, as he charted the boom and bust of his highly publicised relationship with internet sensation Emma Chamberlain, \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; the Hourglass\u2019 is apparently named after a time traveller who\u2019s knocked about with both Michael Jackson and Olivia Rodrigo.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Pillsbury has emphasised that this is no concept album. \u201cI wrote all the songs and then came up with this Chuck thing to just represent it,\u201d he told <i>Rolling Stone<\/i>. However he got here, at least he\u2019s managed to step outside of himself a little. His 2022 debut, \u2018Rx\u2019, was an obnoxious alt-pop affair inspired by his romance with Chamberlain. That gave way to 2024\u2019s \u2018Kansas Anymore\u2019, a countrified self-pity party staged in the wake of their break-up. Both records seemed to be way more about Pillsbury than their ostensible subject.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ROLE MODEL - Joy\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_5yOOGy_lBo?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Thankfully, \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; the Hourglass\u2019 explores singledom in a less claustrophobic manner, even if the Americana style is dialled up to the point of pastiche. Slickly produced lead single \u2018High Hopes 3000\u2019 sets the protagonist up as a wannabe optimist who\u2019s <i>\u201cout on the town\u201d<\/i> and looking for love <i>\u201cover and over and over and over again\u201d<\/i>. The quest continues on \u2018Service Receipt\u2019, an MOR adventure in which he visits a diner and tries to pick up more than the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Even when Pillsbury slips back into solipsism, as on \u2018Stain\u2019, he cleverly offsets ugly lyrics about heartache as <i>\u201ca stain that I never get out\u201d<\/i> with ultra-smooth muzak. With similar wiliness, he gets a little self-reflexive on \u2018Song Is All You Get\u2019, a slice of country radio bait that suggests heartache is worth it for the tunes. \u2018Chuck Timely\u2019 still has shades of self-pity (see the laconic \u2018Love I You\u2019) but Pillsbury is much better at depicting the freewheeling single life than plumbing the depths of emotion.<\/p>\n<p>The result is his most likeable album yet. As country queen Sheryl Crow didn\u2019t quite sing: a change can do you good.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Role-Model-Chuck-Timely-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"Role Model Chuck Timely &amp; The Hourglass review:\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Polydor<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 7, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/li>\n<li>Role Model<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap 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class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Last year saw Role Model, one of pop\u2019s great over-sharers, finish up shooting the new Lena Dunham movie, <i>Good Sex<\/i>. The filmmaker is, of course, no stranger to spilling the beans herself. Just <i>imagine<\/i> the small talk they made on set.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: iKeda is building her own world full of bubbly electropop gold<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It remains to be seen how the 29-year-old singer-songwriter \u2013 aka Tucker Pillsbury \u2013 fares in his first-ever acting gig, but the whole make-believe thing seems to have rubbed off on him. Where the Maine-born and LA-based musician\u2019s previous two albums found him baring his soul, as he charted the boom and bust of his highly publicised relationship with internet sensation Emma Chamberlain, \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; the Hourglass\u2019 is apparently named after a time traveller who\u2019s knocked about with both Michael Jackson and Olivia Rodrigo.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Pillsbury has emphasised that this is no concept album. \u201cI wrote all the songs and then came up with this Chuck thing to just represent it,\u201d he told <i>Rolling Stone<\/i>. However he got here, at least he\u2019s managed to step outside of himself a little. His 2022 debut, \u2018Rx\u2019, was an obnoxious alt-pop affair inspired by his romance with Chamberlain. That gave way to 2024\u2019s \u2018Kansas Anymore\u2019, a countrified self-pity party staged in the wake of their break-up. Both records seemed to be way more about Pillsbury than their ostensible subject.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ROLE MODEL - Joy\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_5yOOGy_lBo?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Thankfully, \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; the Hourglass\u2019 explores singledom in a less claustrophobic manner, even if the Americana style is dialled up to the point of pastiche. Slickly produced lead single \u2018High Hopes 3000\u2019 sets the protagonist up as a wannabe optimist who\u2019s <i>\u201cout on the town\u201d<\/i> and looking for love <i>\u201cover and over and over and over again\u201d<\/i>. The quest continues on \u2018Service Receipt\u2019, an MOR adventure in which he visits a diner and tries to pick up more than the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Even when Pillsbury slips back into solipsism, as on \u2018Stain\u2019, he cleverly offsets ugly lyrics about heartache as <i>\u201ca stain that I never get out\u201d<\/i> with ultra-smooth muzak. With similar wiliness, he gets a little self-reflexive on \u2018Song Is All You Get\u2019, a slice of country radio bait that suggests heartache is worth it for the tunes. \u2018Chuck Timely\u2019 still has shades of self-pity (see the laconic \u2018Love I You\u2019) but Pillsbury is much better at depicting the freewheeling single life than plumbing the depths of emotion.<\/p>\n<p>The result is his most likeable album yet. As country queen Sheryl Crow didn\u2019t quite sing: a change can do you good.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Role-Model-Chuck-Timely-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"Role Model Chuck Timely &amp; The Hourglass review:\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> Polydor<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> August 7, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/role-model-chuck-timely-the-hourglass-review-3961103&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Role-Model-Credit-Chloe-Chippendale.jpg&#8221;] Role Model. Credit: Chloe Chippendale ReviewsAlbum Reviews Role Model \u2013 \u2018Chuck Timely &amp; The Hourglass\u2019 review: a super-smooth depiction of singledom The 29-year-old ditches self-obsession for slickly produced Americana on a likeable album that\u2019s named after (checks notes) a time traveller looking for love 3 By Jordan Bassett 6th August 2026 Last [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2081743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2081743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081743\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2081743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2081743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2081743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}