Life Off the Road: Aussie band Chase Atlantic Give Insight Into Their 2020 Pause and What’s to Come
Photography by Jordan Knight
If anyone kinda needed an enforced break in the past 12 months, it would be Aussie alternative R&B band, Chase Atlantic. On the road since 2017, they’ve clocked in thousands of miles and hun- dreds of live shows. Early in 2020 the Australian trio were just starting to think that maybe they needed a break and then the pandemic forced their hand. “I think after doing the 2018 Warped Tour we became completely battle hardened regarding touring,” explains guitarist and vocalist Christian Anthony. “Our bodies and minds were just constantly going. We didn’t even have time to sit back and realize how many shows we were playing because all we were focused on was the next city and giving them the best show they’ve ever experienced. It’s nice to be in one spot and give ourselves a well-deserved break from touring.”
Being kept at home may have seen some marathon Call of Duty sessions between Anthony and band mates, brothers Mitch- el and Clinton Cave, but they’ve also been working hard too. The extended break from the road has also sent them back in time as they’ve written and recorded their new album, Beauty in Death in a more DIY manner than other recent records. “This was the first time since the original EPs we released back in 2015-2016, that we have recorded and produced everything from our bedrooms,” Christian tells us. “We all have our own separate studios and that has been a very exciting new way for us to come up with ideas and bounce around of each other more than our traditional way. It comes with the burden of your office being so close to your bed though so you’re never really certain when you should be working or relaxing, so you have to set your own schedules.”
Not knowing when you can actually get out to play a new re- cord can be quite tough mentally for a band and Chase Atlantic are particularly excited to unleash live performances of the up- coming album. “Songs like “Beauty in Death” I think will really translate well with the crowds live and others like “Slide” will pro- vide us with enough breathing room and space to create alterna- tive renditions of which sound completely different to the original recordings.”
The uncertainty of music can always be cause for mental strain but, as Christian explains, “that’s the life we chose as musi- cians. You give up the comfortable and safe life for something you are so passionate about that you can overcome the anxiety of not knowing your next move.”
The past year has seen them come up with a whole new cre- ative direction with their visuals—something that’s also bled into their music. “The new direction is a collaboration with our good friend Chris Shelley who also did our Phases artwork,” explains Christian. “He is someone who also really enjoys our music and has been such an important part of the music making process and getting a different perspective. He visually sees what we cre- ate through our music and we work together to create the unique worlds we believe the records take you. He’s been amazing to work with and we couldn’t have ended up with a better person to collaborate on this with.” @chaseatlantic
