Recommended Tracks: ANGELS, HER, EVEN THOUGH I’M DEPRESSED
Artists You May Like: R I L E Y, De’Wayne Jackson, Cherry Pools
And…they’re ready for take-off! A year and a half after dropping their debut album, Chase Atlantic have returned with their sophomore effort, PHASES. Over the past few months, the genre-bending Aussies have been providing glimpses of their new chapter, or phase, which incorporates a space-themed aesthetic. The boys are on a mission and have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to succeed.
After hearing the celestial, climactic intro, we ease into the second track, “ANGELS.” The track starts off with a narrative we have heard plenty of times from the band: a couple of friends are hanging out, maybe they are about to be more than friends? All of a sudden, the narrative shifts and we hear a story about someone who is lonely and needs someone who will listen. Life has its dark moments and the best way to get through them is to have a few lights, or angels, in your life that will be there to, literally, be there. Good music can also help, which is what you will hear in this track. The choruses will make you want to move – if you aren’t dancing already!
The next track, “PHASES,” dives further into the topic of mental health. Mental health is a major topic on the album, as we hear about different aspects of it in most of the songs. Shortly before the album dropped, the boys released the single, “STUCKINMYBRAIN,” with a small PSA about being candid with your feelings. They stated, “do not be afraid to say something if you are unwell or scared for your own life.” On “PHASES,” we hear about how neurotic it can be for someone who is trying to get better, but still has conflicting feelings.
The next two tracks, “LOVE IS (NOT) EASY” and “HER,” illustrate how love can exist in different forms. The former track is about preserving the love you have for someone, even when it seems pointless. Sometimes, “love isn’t easy, it’s heartache;” we have to decide if that love is worth the pain. The latter track, “HER,” is about having love for someone who favors material items over love. How can you convince that person that there is value in love? In addition to having different stories, the tracks also incorporate different genres, as “LOVE IS (NOT) EASY” has more of a neo-gospel vibe and “HER” is more alternative R&B. Chase Atlantic: masters of keeping things fresh.
The sixth track, “NO RAINBOWS,” builds on the narrative that we heard on “HER.” While “HER” was about having love for someone who only wants the finer things in life, “NO RAINBOWS” is about navigating around that shallow lifestyle. The world has become a very “fake” place, where everyone likes to post pictures on social media that show them at their best or chase after things that give them a high, such as money or drugs. In reality, none of it is great and we are only digging holes for ourselves.
My favorite track on the album is “EVEN THOUGH I’M DEPRESSED.” It is a dreamy, alt-pop track that captures what it is like to feel happy and sad at the same time. For instance, Mitchel sings about feeling alive and then feeling lifeless or being happy and then wishing you were dead. While it can be hard to find a balance, it is possible to carry on and find the positive amongst the negative.
The album concludes with the melancholy, “I DON’T LIKE DARKNESS.” It is hard to say, but this track might be referring to someone who is dying. Mitchel expresses, “though we don’t talk, I’ll miss our conversations” and “even if you leave this place, your spirit’s with us.” The idea of this person leaving, in whatever sense, triggers a feeling of darkness that is hard to evade. As the song comes to a close, we are left with an instrumental that is reminiscent of the opening track, giving us a feeling of nostaglia.
Our journey might have ended, but the thrill of the adventure still lingers and we cannot wait to see what the next phase of the mission will have in store for Chase Atlantic.
You can listen to PHASES on sites like Spotify and Apple Music.
Catch Chase Atlantic on tour here.
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