The “BEAUTY IN DEATH” and New Beginnings

Written by Natalie Melendez

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

If there’s one thing you should know about Chase Atlantic, it's that they never play by the rules. Since the release of their debut self-titled album in 2017, the Australian trio—formed by Mitchel Cave, Clinton Cave, and Christian Anthony—have combined key elements of hip-hop and rock with a hint of jazz. While the band has always remained true to originality, their latest LP BEAUTY IN DEATH marks their boldest—and dare I say wildly successful—attempt to distinguish themselves in the world of music. And it appears as if they have found their niche.

The album as a whole is a perfect culmination of every previous album cycle, with a new, more mature twist. Most notably, Chase Atlantic carry themselves with greater confidence than ever before. This change is apparent in tracks like “OUT THE ROOF” and “PLEASE STAND BY” (ft. DE’WAYNE and Xavier Mayne), whose more prominent electronic and jazz influences point the way to a new world of experimentation. The tracks are untouchable, exuding fresh boldness not only with their classic, upbeat melodies that are perfect for rowdy Saturday nights with friends, with lyrics such as “Bitch, I’m bulletproof” and “Please stand by / Said I love it when my enemies die.”

While such songs place Chase Atlantic on the verge of unrestrained egotism, others are more humbling and mellow. “SLIDE” and “MOLLY,” both tracks released as singles before the record drop, deal with more serious undertones. Their mellow beats are accompanied by somber storylines, which portray themes of addiction, loneliness, and depression. The allure lies in both the rawness of the lyrics “I can’t feel my legs, yet I’m standing / I barely make it down the stairs without panic” and the return of Clinton Cave’s holy sax, which has become part of the band’s defining sound.  

It’s safe to say, then, that BEAUTY IN DEATH is Chase Atlantic’s most confessional album yet. Listening to it is like reading from the members’ personal diaries. It feels wrong and exciting, but you just can’t seem to get enough, as you become too invested in the story. The boundaries of this sincerity are pushed in the track “CALL ME BACK.” Overzealous lyrical confidence becomes replaced with “If you get a minute call me back / I’m so lonely and you’re the only one that knows me / And if you’re busy then I understand it / It’s bad timing and I’m probably gonna end up crying / Fall back.” Heartbreak, pain, and longing ring loudly in the song’s sparkling, almost magical beats, but it’s impossible to stop yourself from swaying along in melodic delight.

The same is true of “I THINK I’M LOST,” in which Mitchel Cave glumly sings ‘I’m so sick and tired / Of feeling sick and tired / It’s not easy’ and ‘Cause I think I’m lost again / I must keep my oxygen now / The world is big it’ll kill me if I don’t figure sh*t out.’ The return of the sax near the end offers a bit of liveliness to the otherwise dejected tunes, giving one the feeling of being in a coffee shop late at night, alone at a table for two. 

There are, of course, much more lighthearted and teenage-dream-like moments because it wouldn’t be a Chase Atlantic album without them. Yet, the dark lyrical bluntness remains. “PLEASEXANNY” lures listeners with its airy melodies and relatively smooth beats but tugs at the heart with melancholic lyrics like “This might be love / Feel the affection through a chemical rush / Baby hold my hand we can slow dance our lives away,” which details a strong dependency on drugs.  

Despite the sorrow in most of the album, the title track offers a glimmer of hope. The song is representative of the fact that while life may be imperfect, and while death may be dangerously alluring, it is still worth fighting for. There’s a new search for reassurance in the lines “I’ll make sure to make it by for one night / But don’t let me die,” and the track’s bedroom-pop-like melody, much like those in 2015’s Nostalgia, gives the sensation of riding in a convertible with the top down, wind in hair while heading towards the sunset. 

BEAUTY IN DEATH is a stellar work of art and undeniably the trio’s strongest release to date. At last, Chase Atlantic have figured out a sound unique to them, one which merges fragments from rock, hip-hop, jazz, electronic, and everything in between. This release shows their confidence in who they have become as musicians, as well as their devotion to originality and sincerity. It’s difficult to predict where the band will head next or what their next project will be, but this much is certain: BEAUTY IN DEATH will take Chase Atlantic to new heights, and every release afterwards is bound to be even better than the last.