Is Chase Atlantic Indie?
Find out the origins of the group Chase Atlantic if they are an indie group.

In 2012, a young trio of friends went on season 4 of the X Factor in Australia. By the second week, they had been eliminated, finishing eleventh out of thirteen finalists. Two years later, they formed a band called Chase Atlantic, and have since gone on to gain millions of followers across several platforms. So how did this X Factor flop of a band grow to become such a success? And even more important, is Chase Atlantic indie?

Indie vs Independent

You've probably heard this before, but for the sake of those who haven't, let's define these terms. Do indie and independent mean the same thing? Well, yes and no. Let me explain.

Indie music can be classified into two categories. The first category refers to independent artists who produce and distribute their music either by themselves or with the help of a small, or indie, record label. This first definition focuses on the financial and operational setup of an artist.

The second category refers to music made by artists with no care for commercial value. This music is made for maximum authenticity, often with lyrics that are raw and honest. Early indie artists played this kind of music and birthed different genres if you can call them that. Some of these early indie sounds have now been adopted even by mainstream artists. They include alternative rock, indie pop, pop punk, punk rock, and several others.

Now that we have our definitions in order, let's go back to our questions. How did Chase Atlantic become so successful, and are they an indie band?

The story

To help answer our question, we need to understand their story. It all began in 2011 when two friends, Christian Anthony, and Mitchell Cave, formed a band called What About Tonight. They auditioned for the X Factor Australia one year later but crashed out in week 2, finishing eleventh. Refusing to give up on musical success, however, they turned to YouTube. Mitchell's older brother, Clinton, had a channel that was doing quite well. So they teamed up with him and started making covers of popular songs. They went from What About Now to Kind Imaginations, Destructive Situations. In 2014, however, they became Chase Atlantic.

One year and two EPs later, the young trio caught the eye of Benji and Joel Madden and got signed to be managed by them. By 2017, Chase Atlantic had released two more EPs and signed with Warner Bros. Records. Later that year, they released their first studio album and went on a US tour with sixteen shows in eleven states. By the summer of 2018, however, Chase Atlantic went independent. They've since released two more studio albums and continue to work on releasing new music.

Music style

In their early days, Chase Atlantic's sound was classified as pop rock and punk rock. Over the years, however, they've gradually modified their sound into some unique. In their words, it's "conjured up dark alternative pop punctuated by rock and RnB". I know, it doesn't sound like anything I've heard before, either. Think the Weeknd, the 1975, the Neighborhood, and Tame Impala all mashed up in one band.

The only way to understand what they sound like, though, is to listen to them. So I've picked out five of their best songs to analyze. Walk with me.

Top five Chase Atlantic songs

Swim

First on our list is Swim, a 2017 song from their first studio album called Chase Atlantic. This song shows off the RnB influence from the Weeknd. The slow but rhythmic RnB sound, the smooth vocals, and the message in the song all speak to an influence from RnB fused with pop music. Dark alternative pop punctuated by RnB sounds just about right for this one.

In this song, the lads express their sexual desires for a beautiful girl they just met. If that doesn't say the Weeknd, I don't know what does. The music video is also full of flashing lights. Need any more convincing?

Into it

Also from the 2017 album, Chase Atlantic, this song is another song heavily influenced by RnB and the Weeknd specifically. It's a similar sound to our first entry with slow, dark instrumentation and smooth vocals. Being one of their mid-life projects, this gives us a picture of how their music started to evolve from punk rock and post-punk to something darker and oriented toward RnB.

Numb to the feeling

Numb to the feeling is heavily RnB, and borderline hip-hop. It's influenced by rap and trap music, with an aggressive flow punctuated by heavy 808-pitch blends. To help you take in the instrumental, they put in several short pauses with only soft music before diving back into the aggression. The song is a tad different from the first two songs and shows the willingness of this trio to experiment and try out new things with their music.

Friends

Finally, we get some of that rock punctuation they talked about with this song. Although we still have some RnB influence, the dominance of the lead guitar is a clear indication of rock influence. In Friends, Chase Atlantic songs about the insecurities of not feeling good enough for a romantic partner. This song came out even before the earlier songs and is a better indication of the punk rock and alternative rock music they first made.

Slow down

Our final entry is taken from Chase Atlantic's 2016 EP, Paradise. The song is called Slow Down and is a combination of RnB instrumentation and rock guitars. If you're been paying attention, you'll realize this has become a theme. The lads have taken their alternative, punk rock roots, and infused RnB to create their own unique sound.

Final Verdict

Here's my final verdict. On both counts, Chase Atlantic is an indie band. They've created their unique sound that's more tailored towards authenticity than commercial success. They also cut ties with Warner Bros. Records to remain independent.

So, yes, Chase Atlantic is a fully indie band by all definitions.

In Conclusion

Forgive my many detours before getting to the conclusion, but the background is important. You now know the story of Chase Atlantic and how they've grown over the years. If you've been wondering whether or not they qualify to be called indie, now you know.

Yes, they do.