CHASE ATLANTIC - BEAUTY IN DEATH
Two years after their previous album, Australian alt R&B trio Chase Atlantic return with their latest adventure, Beauty In Death.
Self described as a group who “blurs boundaries between genres through fearless experimentation and innate melodic inclinations”, Chase Atlantic have drawn inspiration for this album from the unlikely mix of King Crimson, Tame Impala, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, to create a psychedelic sound that “delves into a metaphoric, yet very personal realm filled with chaos, danger and brutal honesty.”
Beauty In Death comes two years after their last album, PHASES, and builds upon the trials and tribulations the band, and millions of others, found themselves facing in 2020.
Lead single ‘Slide’ starts off very typically Chase Atlantic, with the group’s distinctive signature vocals driving the song through a tale of mental instability and self medication. “Yeah, red eyes, black dragon/Fuck, I think the nitrous did damage/I can’t feel my legs yet I’m standing/I barely make it down the stairs without a panic.” But we’re quickly made aware of the King Crimson/Pink Floyd inspiration with an unexpected, but cleverly placed sax solo. It shouldn’t work, but it does, adding to the genre bending fluidity that the trio so love to play around with.
Opening track ‘Paranoid’ is an album highlight, with Mitchel Cave’s emotive voice setting the scene for the rest of the album, a dark and violent journey through a life fuelled by drugs and booze. Ending with rocking electric guitar, this is another testament to the success of the trio’s musical experimentation.
‘Please Stand By’, Featuring DE’WAYNE and Xavier Mayne, harks back to the sound of their self titled 2017 debut album, and shows that, despite enjoying taking a different route with Beauty In Death, Chase Atlantic are still in touch with their roots, and it’s nice to have that little nostalgic nod to their more R&B sounding days added in half way through the album.
Sonically, Chase Atlantic always produce interesting tracks, that are well produced and great to listen to. But this isn’t Shakespeare or Murakami, and if you’re looking for songs that tell intricate and interesting stories, you might want to look somewhere else. With nearly every song on the album about getting drunk or high, the theme is consistent but lacking. Even ‘Molly’, the closest thing to a love song on the album, appears to be about MDMA rather than a girl: “I said fuck the Addy’s, fuck the Xanax/She was all I needed, she was magic./Molly, you were there for me/When no one ever cared for me/You tried, thank you for getting me high.” It all feels a little bit GCSE Drama – kids trying to come across as edgy and philosophical by doing a show where they ‘shoot up’ and grind against each other. But it’s very well packaged in great musicality and, overall, it’s an enjoyable, albeit it not very deep, listening experience.
Jess Distill
★★★☆☆