You know the deal with this. Chaser is (at the time of writing) a Punktastic Recordings act. This is Punktastic.com. I write for Punktastic; PT Recs is way over my head, I’m afraid. I’m not even trusted to make the coffee at Punktastic Towers for fear that I’ll scald myself and sue the bastards.
I don’t even know what to call this, and, at 8 tracks long, I don’t think anyone else does either. Album? Mini album? Extended EP? Whatever, it’s irrelevant. What does matter is that the boys in Chaser have been hard at work on their danceable indie-pop sound since their demo recordings, which are collecting dust somewhere in here, and have quickly developed into something resembling an A&R’s wet dream. Title track ‘Best Seat In The House’ is, as has already been often cited, 2 parts Panic! At The Disco to 1 part The Killers – it’s one of the catchiest songs you’ll hear all year and has such a broad spectrum of appeal that I fully expect it to lead the Chaser assault on the scenes that they won’t automatically win over anyway. ‘The Race Is On’ is another favourite of mine with its distinctive piano-driven leading line. These tracks sit alongside ‘Riot’ as the radio-friendly danceable numbers which are likely to introduce you to their sound.
Chaser, like almost every young band ever, has the odd ‘fault’. Well, I say ‘fault’, but that’s perhaps a little harsh as I’m judging them against themselves rather against any contemporary. ‘On The Second Glance‘ slows things right down for a melody-driven blend of pop vocals and smooth, layered synths. It’s still a great song, but it’s not what Chaser does best: getting you singing along and dancing. That said, the trance remix of Riot is designed to get you dancing, I’m guessing. But, at the moment, the only substance powering this review is lemon squash. Had it been a cocktail of acid, cocaine and crystal meths, I’d have probably ejaculated all over the CD; it’ll liven up a house party I’m sure, but when I’m just sat here listening I have to admit I press the skip button.
33 minutes, and it’s all over. I realise that I’m undoubtedly going to be lambasted for delivering a positive review to this CD, but I’d be lying if I slandered it. Whether this is your thing or not, I think most people would agree that Chaser has the raw material there to become a very big band, and this is an impressive account for a first proper release. Providing they stick to the catchy end of their sound, there are few restrictions on where they can go with this.
www.myspace.com/chaseruk
www.punktasticrecordings.com
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