MELODIC PUNKS CHASER RETURN WITH HOPEFUL FIFTH ALBUM

ALBUM REVIEW | CHASER – SMALL VICTORIES by Craig Harston 5/5

It’s been three years since California’s Chaser released their last album, 2021’s ‘Dreamers’. In the interim, the band have toured the world extensively, building up a “can’t miss” reputation at festivals such as Jera On Air, Punk Rock Holiday and Brakrock. ‘Small Victories’ sees them return with their most hopeful album to date, all about celebrating the small wins.

Opening track ‘Brand New Enemy’ is very much a call to arms, a ripping song all about how no matter what life throws at us and we manage to handle it, something else will always rear it’s head and we’ll handle that as best we can, too! The next few songs continue in this vein, focusing on the fear we all have of the future and how it can be easier to look back instead. ‘The Breaks’ features an extremely catchy chorus (“Well, that’s the breaks like they say, we’re all one mistake away from a life that we look so down upon”) while ‘Fault Lines’ is all about defying fate and making your own future with some excellent guitar from Bill Hockmuth, including an epic solo before the breakdown.

Latest single ‘Stay Gold’ is more on the pop punk side, a heart-wrenching song with Mike LeDonne’s passionate vocals lamenting moving on after the loss of a loved one while ‘Control The Bleed’ is an explosive ode to everyone trying to be better humans, “But the start of change starts with you today, you won’t save the world just control the bleed”. ‘Out Of The Shadows’ takes on a bit of a metal riff throughout, particularly on it’s guitar, and leads straight into ‘Sugar Pills’, a thoughtful but super-fast meditation on anxiety and how it can be controlled just by hearing the right words.

Closing out the album, ‘Just Breathe’ sounds like the best kind of 90’s Offspring song – up to and including plenty of “woah’s”, while ‘A Revel Song’ leaves things on a positive note, reminding us to appreciate what we have in the here and now, with solidarity shown via gang vocals for the choruses (“As we go like before, sing with me let’s hear one more, revel in these times before they fade away”).

Ultimately, Chaser have delivered an excellent album, a callback to 90’s skate punk (it’s very No Use For A Name) but with modern sensibilities. Definitely a contender for punk rock album of the year! The album cover also features excellent artwork from Sebas Theriault, depicting the ebbs and flows of life.