Career trajectories are rarely linear or make logical sense. Life is always unpredictable so all you can do is put in good work and keep at it. Joh Chase is a testament to this. Over the past two decades, the Seattle-raised, Los Angeles-based artist has persistently honed their songwriting and toured, opening for acts like Noah Gunderson and David Bazan. This dedication comes out entirely in their songs, which are so timeless, confident, and inviting they can only come from someone who’s devoted their whole life to their craft. Chase’s new album SOLO feels like a turning point for them: it’s the culmination of a lifetime of writing, losing, loving, and doing it all yourself. Out April 26 via Kill Rock Stars, the LP adventurously toes the line between genres and sensibilities but it’s all filtered through Chase’s charming and fully-formed vision.
Chase’s musical journey has been a winding but steady evolution. While they were raised Evangelical and originally wrote songs that grappled with leaving the church, Chase found revelations in introspective songwriting. “My brain is completely filled with the music I was raised on: Elton John, The Cranberries, Bonnie Raitt, and the Mamas and the Papas,” they say. “I will always think of my music through that template while trying to find a place for myself in the world and pushing the boundaries of that.” With that foundation, Chase’s songs are dynamic and alive. SOLO gleefully bounces from sizzling blues to bedroom-recorded folk, soaring pop, and intimate indie rock. No two tracks sound alike but they’re all connected by Chase’s patient and enduring vision.
The lead single “Avalanche” exemplifies this dynamic and adventurous sound. By far the most explosive song on the LP, there’s a subtle twang in Chase’s voice as they sing, “Fever pitch of young love oriented all our stars/Found our bed in the spin of the earth and all its charge/Oh that love, that love, couldn’t see it coming, couldn’t see it coming.” Chase jokes that the song feels like blues meets Brandi Carlile. “This song is about the transformational power of love in that it's not what you think it is all the time," they say. “I feel like it really represents my life. It's very personal for sure.” SOLO boasts euphoric, sing-along-ready choruses and warm arrangements, all anchored by Chase’s inviting croon. Songs like “To Forget You” have a tangible vitality while “Savina,” a track that Chase originally wrote in 2008, boasts an obvious effortlessness.
Chase thrives on perceptive and emotionally resonant insight: they’re able to pinpoint a feeling with staggering clarity even on the lighter moments. Single “When I Got This Place” encapsulates this in an affecting and funny ode to love and heartbreak in Los Angeles. “The whole song really represents that I've had a lot of breakups in LA,” says Chase. “Every scene that's in the song is a moment that’s happened in my life.” On the track, Chase sings, “Don't need a lover in Los Angeles/everybody's here for show biz.” It’s a clever line but it’s not a throwaway. At the end of the song, Chase sings “a bunch of dreamers trying to find some space” with the line showcasing how the personal can be universal.
SOLO is a testament to Chase’s do-it-yourself ethos throughout their entire career—they chipped away, self-funded tours, and crowdfunded this LP. But by finding their voice, they now no longer feel alone. “This is the most support I've ever had in my life,” says Chase. “I do not feel alone at all. There’s so much energy and generosity here around these songs.” Though it’s not their debut, SOLO feels like a reinvention for an artist: a daring reintroduction for a timeless talent. “I spent my life making music and trying to do it about 10 different ways,” says Chase. “Now this one feels like it. This album feels like a leveling-up of my music in general. When I look at it now, I realize this is the first record that's really me.”
Chase’s musical journey has been a winding but steady evolution. While they were raised Evangelical and originally wrote songs that grappled with leaving the church, Chase found revelations in introspective songwriting. “My brain is completely filled with the music I was raised on: Elton John, The Cranberries, Bonnie Raitt, and the Mamas and the Papas,” they say. “I will always think of my music through that template while trying to find a place for myself in the world and pushing the boundaries of that.” With that foundation, Chase’s songs are dynamic and alive. SOLO gleefully bounces from sizzling blues to bedroom-recorded folk, soaring pop, and intimate indie rock. No two tracks sound alike but they’re all connected by Chase’s patient and enduring vision.
The lead single “Avalanche” exemplifies this dynamic and adventurous sound. By far the most explosive song on the LP, there’s a subtle twang in Chase’s voice as they sing, “Fever pitch of young love oriented all our stars/Found our bed in the spin of the earth and all its charge/Oh that love, that love, couldn’t see it coming, couldn’t see it coming.” Chase jokes that the song feels like blues meets Brandi Carlile. “This song is about the transformational power of love in that it's not what you think it is all the time," they say. “I feel like it really represents my life. It's very personal for sure.” SOLO boasts euphoric, sing-along-ready choruses and warm arrangements, all anchored by Chase’s inviting croon. Songs like “To Forget You” have a tangible vitality while “Savina,” a track that Chase originally wrote in 2008, boasts an obvious effortlessness.
Chase thrives on perceptive and emotionally resonant insight: they’re able to pinpoint a feeling with staggering clarity even on the lighter moments. Single “When I Got This Place” encapsulates this in an affecting and funny ode to love and heartbreak in Los Angeles. “The whole song really represents that I've had a lot of breakups in LA,” says Chase. “Every scene that's in the song is a moment that’s happened in my life.” On the track, Chase sings, “Don't need a lover in Los Angeles/everybody's here for show biz.” It’s a clever line but it’s not a throwaway. At the end of the song, Chase sings “a bunch of dreamers trying to find some space” with the line showcasing how the personal can be universal.
SOLO is a testament to Chase’s do-it-yourself ethos throughout their entire career—they chipped away, self-funded tours, and crowdfunded this LP. But by finding their voice, they now no longer feel alone. “This is the most support I've ever had in my life,” says Chase. “I do not feel alone at all. There’s so much energy and generosity here around these songs.” Though it’s not their debut, SOLO feels like a reinvention for an artist: a daring reintroduction for a timeless talent. “I spent my life making music and trying to do it about 10 different ways,” says Chase. “Now this one feels like it. This album feels like a leveling-up of my music in general. When I look at it now, I realize this is the first record that's really me.”