#parttwochaseatlantic

[concertcollector-blog]

“Part Two” by Chase Atlantic (Review)

With fans still recovering from “Part One”, Chase Atlantic fueled their ongoing fire with the release of “Part Two”, the second EP of what I’m assuming to be their take on an electrifying musical saga.

The EP was released on March 31st, 2017, and I was very eager to hear it. Although I myself am a relatively new fan of Chase Atlantic’s music, “Part One” completely blew me out of the water: compared to their older stuff, it was a major step forward in terms of their lyrics, musical production, and style. My only hope for "Part Two” was that it would be similar to its counterpart, if not better.

After finally sitting down and listening to the new EP, I had some mixed feelings about it. Although I was pleased regardless, because I like this band a lot, I’m not quite certain whether this one shook me as hard as “Part One” did.

Let’s break it down song by song, shall we?

Track 1 - Triggered. 

My very first impression of this song was a quick snort through the nose. Not going to lie, the title made me chuckle. I wasn’t sure if the band was genuinely pissed off about something, or they were just making fun of Twitter users’ lingo. Either way, I was interested to see where this opening track would lead to. 

Personally, I’m a sucker for dramatic album introductions. And this song had just the right amount of mystery, lust, and grunge to immediately draw me in. 

The song started out with a relatively chill introduction, but the first 10 seconds definitely built up. It was quiet at first, but as soon as I heard the car revving its engine in the background, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride.

Immediately after the car sounds, I was hit with lead singer Mitchel Cave’s distinctive voice and a brand new beat.

If I was to describe this song in one word, I would use the term badass (or is that two words?). There was something about the heavy bass, deep rhythm, and the slickness in Cave’s voice that immediately painted a dauntless picture in my mind. I imagined myself thrown into the middle of a high-speed police chase after my hot boyfriend and I just robbed a convenience store. He would be driving a black SUV with tinted windows, I would be perched up in the passenger seat, and Triggered would be our get away song.

Although the chorus could’ve been fuller in my opinion, the verses and the bridge of this song were what really brought it to life for me. Lyrics like “driving ‘till we killing love” and the repetitive use of the phrase “won’t slow down” strengthened my inner feelings of love and rebellion as I bopped my head to this song’s steady beat. 

The lyrics and overall theme of the song helped me realize that perhaps the meaning of “triggered” was not a reference to overused internet slang, but maybe it was referring to the shotgun my hot boyfriend was firing as we swerved on the 405, desperately trying to get away from the cops. Once again, the visuals that this song brought to life were killer (haha - see what I did there?).

In conclusion, the more I’ve listened to this song, the more I’ve come to really like it. From the lyrics, to the melodies, and to the delinquent realm it creates, Triggered is definitely my favorite tune on this EP. 

Overall rating: 9.4/10

Track 2 - Cassie.

This song, unfortunately, did not woo me as much as its preceding track. 

First off, what I appreciated about the song was how unique it was. In my opinion, this song was the complete opposite of Triggered, and very different from what I’ve been associating with Chase Atlantic’s more recent music. Coming right out of the sinister world of Triggered, Cassie was like a breath of fresh air and a field of blooming sunflowers right in front of me. 

The general vibe of this song was very easy to pick up on within the first lines of the first verse. The light and airy beat that continued throughout the entire song reminded me of a symphony imitating the gentle ticks of a clocktower. It made my heart, still calming down from Triggered, feel all warm and fuzzy again. 

Another thing I appreciated about this song was how the lyrics and the music contradicted one another. A bubbly melody is a rarity among Chase Atlantic’s newer releases, but somehow they managed to pair the uplifting beat with lyrics about drugged up veins and an impatient girl named Cassie in a way that actually worked quite well.  

However, the unique airiness of this song just didn’t seem to completely win me over, though I did appreciate it. The main reason why this song did not particularly knock my socks off is because throughout the whole first listen, I kept feeling as if something was missing. Especially in the chorus, I felt like there could’ve been something else - a tempo change, another instrumental element, faster lyrics - to make it more exciting. Although the song was cute and a little brighter than the other two tracks, it was kind of forgettable. 

Overall rating: 7.8/10

Track 3 - Why Stop Now.

This track has become known to me as the cool-down song, because I found it to be very chill and relaxed, but nonetheless a very interesting listen.

The introduction features a few intriguing elements that quickly brought me to the edge of my seat: more undistinguishable sound effects (were they popping pills?), the lazy strum of an electric guitar, and Cave’s muffled voice singing a few catchy lines, as if he was teasing me of what’s to come later on in this song. 

The introduction slowly built up, but then quickly flushed me into the first verse. The band was back at it again with the alternative hip-hop beats, this time singing (rapping?) about self-hatred and a desperate search for Mitchel’s cell phone. 

The transition into the chorus was rather quick, but nonetheless it still worked pretty well. By now I was able to conclude that this song would be slower than the other two, but I wasn’t complaining about it. 

The lyrics of this song once again displayed a level of contradiction to the other elements of the tune. Lines like “Life in the fast lane. You live then you die, babe ... so why stop now?” were somewhat depressing lyrics, yes, but the way Cave’s gentle and soothing tone of voice meshed together with them was quite menacing, sending shivers up my spine. If I’m thinking out loud here, he has a very sexy singing voice. Don’t @ me. 

In some ways this song almost felt half-assed, but thats what I kind of like about it. Although it is slower than the other 2 tracks, Why Stop Now has this kind of vibe to it that fuels my inner desires to just “not care”, which I assume is a common mood fellow Chase Atlantic fans feel while listening to their music. And that’s not a bad thing. Being a moody 18-year-old whose just trying to figure her shit out, I need music like this to listen to from time to time. Sometimes we all just need to “not care” and chill TF out.

The reason why I still wasn’t completely blown away by this song either was the same reason as Cassie. I felt like there was something missing from this track as well, though I still can’t put my finger on it. Either way, it’s still a good jam, and I can see this one becoming a lot of fans’ favorite. 

Overall rating: 7/10

Overall, the “Part Two” EP did not meet the high expectations “Part One” set for me, but that is quite all right. Triggered is a major gem of a song and I’m still going to be blasting this EP in my car for the next few weeks. Perhaps there will be a “Part Three” and maybe even a “Part Four” to help us further envision where Chase Atlantic are headed next. These EPs are obviously just a mere taste of what they’ve got in store; I feel a debut album coming soon, and I cannot wait to devour it. 

AN: This is the first music review I’ve literally ever done, so please go easy on me! Hopefully you enjoyed it - I tried to keep it as honest as possible, so I apologize if any of my opinions offend/upset you, but they are just my opinions. If you liked this, let me know! I’d love to do more reviews in the future.