“Could it just be better?” sings Chase City frontman Tarik Stoneman, channeling a wistful longing for days of stability, certainty and carefree assurance.
Written during the brink of summer 2021 in Australia, the band felt unending uncertainty over the viability of their upcoming shows, forthcoming festivals and future touring plans.
With COVID-19 still wreaking havoc on creative events, ‘Nostalgia’ is an electro, back-beat driven track that inspires a craving for time before restrictions, lockdowns & the unpredictability of a pandemic, fearful of how it will shape the future of events & live music.
The personification of this ambivalence & doubt helps Chase City channel their angst towards something part human, part fear.
A song that was shaped by the time in which it was written, ‘Nostalgia’ was produced across the internet and over multiple locations. Tarik Stoneman was able to record the instrumentation himself, in his studio, before moving to finalize vocals at Jack McClaine’s (Holy Holy, Sumner) studio in the woodlands of Tasmania, executing delivery and performance of the evocative vocal melody. ARIA award nominated & platinum producer Malcolm Besley (Northeast Party House, Client Liaison, Slowly Slowly) mixed & mastered the track from his studio in Melbourne.
“Nostalgia was written in late 2021. We also run a festival called ‘Great Escape’. The song was written when Australia ‘opened up’ and there was lots of COVID. We felt that we were facing another summer of cancellations and the song was about the complete despair around the music industry at the time. Fortunately our festival and most other events went ahead so there is a positive ending”
Chase City
“We wrote and produced this song over the internet at a number of locations. Much of the tracking was done in Tarik Stoneman’s studio. Vocals were tracked at Jack Mcclain’s studio. Mixing & mastering was done in Melbourne at Malcolm Besley’s studio.”
Chase City
Having felt the brute force of lockdowns & restrictions playing havoc to their touring schedule, Chase City are today ecstatic to be making a step in the right direction, headed back to normality by announcing a run of three shows across Tasmania & Melbourne.
Launching the single at The Royal Oak in Launceston on July 1st, the band then head to Melbourne the following weekend to play iconic haunt Cherry Bar, before rounding out the tour with a homecoming performance at Altar Bar in Hobart. This run of shows around the south of Australia is a positive step for the band, with shows more broadly across the country planned for later in the year.
“Our first run of shows in 2022. It is a small tour but a positive step towards getting the band back to doing shows around Australia” Chase City
Formed in 2014, out of Hobart, Tasmania, the band were quickly plucked by triple j Unearthed to open Falls Festival. Soon developing a proclivity for electronic inspired melodies, blended with their indie-rock roots, the band released their debut LP ‘Pressure’, reaching audiences across Australia & Europe with a multitude of tour dates across the two year cycle.
The resulting performances saw the band share stages with Gang of Youths, Client Liaison, Safia & more, alongside Party In The Paddock & Falls Festival appearances. Now working with producer Malcolm Besley (Northeast Party House, Slowly Slowly) on their follow up LP, the band are eager to showcase their broader range of musical influences, with the album set for a 2023 release.