Written by Carmen Mueller
As a longtime fan of the band, I always keep up with Chase Atlantic’s releases. Eagerly waiting for them to pop up in my library as soon as they drop. When the Don’t Try This EP was available I immediately binged the whole project, and I have a lot of things to say about it.
The first two songs that were released were “You Too” and “Like a Rockstar”. The first single “You Too” plays incorporates some classic Chase Atlantic production: rain sounds, a smooth ethereal beat, and Clinton Cave’s saxophone. The things about this band is that their production is so unique to them which is hard to do by music alone. Christian Anthony and Mitchel Cave sound beautiful on the track that talks about falling out of love. And thus song fits in so perfectly with some of their past tracks like “Angeline” and “Ozone”.
The first time I heard “Like a Rockstar” was live at their show in Chicago this past November at Bottom Lounge. So when I heard it was going to be their second single I was super excited; the hype and excitement that I experienced was replicated when the studio version was available. This song’s main topic is drugs and the rockstar life that can sometimes be less than glamorous. It is a darker songs that incorporates more trap style drums and heavy bass. I really enjoy this song, and think it was rightfully chosen to be a single.
“What U Call That?” is the opening song on this track and right away, the song brings in those rain sounds which sets the tone for this catchy track. If someone were to ask what kind of song is quintessential Chase Atlantic, this one would have to take that award. It’s catchy, faced paced, yet tells a story; this one is a standout for sure.
One of the songs that I saw a ton of people highly anticipating was “Devilish”. I think the most impressive part about this song is the production and the musical style of it. The backing track is so lovely and a bit more experimental for them. It also starts off sounding sweet, and then it grows to an intense track with a skipping beat in the chorus and an ending that ascends before disappearing entirely. As for the lyrics, I am a little less impressed. While the song is about drugs and sex (which isn’t anything new for this band), I feel like it relies on quick phrases to fill the whole song and reminds a surface level message. Some songs I think did better at this is “Meddle About” and “Church”. They are both about sex but it does it in a way that incorporates a story and therefore has a place to build off of.
I have a similar critique for the next track “GREENGREENGREEN” which is about drugs once again. I have no problem with that topic, in fact I think some of Chase’s best songs is all about drugs, for example “Cassie”, “The Walls” and “Like a Rockstar” from this EP did it a little smarter. Once again, the production, vocals, and music are great, I just think the lyrics could’ve been approached a bit more carefully. Will I still listen to these two songs? Yes. And I have been since the project released. While I may not appreciate the lyrics like I do some of their other songs, Chase Atlantic’s music is far too good to skip.
Thankfully, the EP picks up for their closing song “Lust”. Even though it is one of the slower songs on this project, it has such great Chase elements that I love hearing. We’ve got the saxophone, the rain sounds, a great beat, and some of Mitchel’s best vocals. It tells the story of falling in lust and how sometimes that might be better than falling in love. It was a great way to end the EP.
While I had a few tiny gripes with the lyrics on one-third of the album, I still love it. Chase Atlantic has such a compelling sound that they’ll have you rocking out even if it’s slower or a fast song. My favorite tracks are “You Too”, “Like a Rockstar”, and “Lust”.