Playing in the rain is something that is actually quite synonymous with Chase, and his signature style of using nature to help channel his own emotions through his music. This is actually what his first original solo release will actually feature, which should be coming out soon after the retrospective collection album release. 

I’ve not heard much about the second release yet, although I do know that it is going to be more of an EP than a full album. Just incase you don’t know what EP stands for, it means extended play; In the sense that it is longer than a single release, so would commonly be anywhere up to six tracks. LP is the term for an full album (ten to twelve tracks on average), which also means long playing.

EP and LP are both older terms which actually come from the production of vinyl records, nowadays the terms LP and album are interchangeable. The term EP is also often interchanged with the term mini-album as well. I’m sure you could your own research if you want to go deeper than that, but I feel like I’ve digressed a little to much at this point.

I’ve arranged quite a few interviews with Chase so we can talk about the retrospective album release, there’s a lot I’m sure there is to learn about the stories to these tracks, and perhaps even something about these show locations. 

As you can see by the album cover artwork, the imagery is very much conveying the idea of digging up the past. Which is something Chase has mentioned quite a few times to myself in candid. He stated;

“It’s been about two years at this point since the band mutually came to an end. And although we all see each other pretty much everyday, it still feels like I’m digging up the past, because it’s more about where my head was at  when I wrote them. The tracks I chose for the album were the ones I wanted to talk about the most. They were the ones that had the most emotional effect on me when I wrote them.

Ironically the most popular tracks we had didn’t actually have much substance to them, in terms of personal meaning. So I’ve left, “the hits” (as they say) out of it ,because they’re just not relevant to our story. Don’t get me wrong though, we spent a decade playing to the crowd. Catering our sets to give them exactly what they wanted, and these tracks were in there too. But again this one’s just about the story and not about bringing the house down. I feel like it’s what I owe.”

So there’s a real rawness to the sound, it’s not crisp and top quality so I get that it wont be for everyone… My own, solo stuff on the other hand, is being done in what I’d rate the best studio in the UK right now, so… The more you know, I guess. But yeah, even though we could record everything. These recordings… That was us then, when it was real. The emotions that we all felt at that time are all in those recordings.

We all agreed this is the best way, and that I should just talk. Talk about our journey. Obviously we all had our own problems that I will talk about in time. And even the lyrics I wrote, sometimes they came from debates and lengthy conversations we’d have through the night, putting the world to rights.

So even though, we are all pretty much on the same wavelength, you might say. I’ve always been the one that could articulate it through carefully constructed poetic sentences, to deliver lyrically. So because of that I was definitely  the most emotionally fueled out of us.

And I mean this to the point where it was almost like he could produce emotions through the sound, like he was grabbing at abstract metaphysical collections of nuance with thoughts, notions and experiences. Then somehow transmuting it all into sound. Of course I’m mostly talking about the stuff he wrote on his own… It’s incredible. 

Don’t get me wrong though, in the band I’d have an idea on what I wanted the sound to be like. Usually giving a chord structure to go with with. He’d just listen to what I said and come up with something on the spot instantly. Pretty much exactly what I had in my head.

I think I said this the other day when you interviewed me. That the dynamics that we had as a band were just incredible, when it came to making music together, it just worked. And we all never really had the same experience with any other band.

I’ve just realized that I’ve not even started talking about Kris and Archy yet… And I probably shouldn’t, because we’ll be here all day. But yeah, I’m putting together a small collection of live tracks from Chase and the Dead, and I’m going to be telling our story.” 

Unfortunately right now Biggs is not giving any more information into Chases personal life, stating; “When Chase is ready to talk, he will.” 

A Statement from R3cords’s Executive, Mr Stuart, follows;

“Signing someone at a low is extremely unorthodox, but I trust Biggs Malone. And with that I go with my own philosophy; That it’s a labels job to nurture talent and to cultivate that talent, because true perseverance really takes a village… or in this case, a team. And that’s exactly what this label is… That said, I have high hopes for Chase Lumen, his piano skills are incredible and from what I’ve heard from him so far, I’m very impressed! To add, I have zero doubt in Biggs’s judgement as a professional, he’s definitely the best there is out there. I’ll say this and I mean it seriously. What he says goes! You don’t need my opinion if you have his already. If Biggs says Chase Lumen is the next Bowie, Mercury, Hendrix, Cobain or Madonna just like he said to me! Then yeah! He definitely absolutely could be.”