Chaser Eight - At The 426

Chaser Eight - At The 426
2013, Chaser Eight

Chaser Eight is the musical product of childhood friendship.  Songwriter/vocalist Audra and guitarist/songwriter Pat Walsh grew up two minutes from each other and have been practically inseparable since the age of ten.  Developing a level of empathy and understanding together that is almost telepathic, Chaser Eight was born of a unique friendship and shared musical intensity.  Their collective muse is brought to life with the help of bassist Billy Wang; drummer Pete Giannini; and keyboardist/guitarist Aaron Tagliamonte.  Chaser Eight’s third EP, At The 426, features straight-forward and honest songs of heartbreak and relationship destruction.

Chaser Eight launches with the irrepressible pop of "Never Enough".  What starts out sounding like it might be an upbeat love song quickly turns to a story of awakening and moving on.  Eponymous vocalist Audra has a knockout voice, and she drives the story with her voice and persona. "One Love" has a more melancholy feel. The energy just isn't there this time around, and Chaser Eight falters a bit under the weight of the song. Guest vocalist Chris Grillo lends his easy, unpolished voice on "Heart To Heart", an Americana cliché that riffs on gradual decay in a relationship. Audra's voice is a nice counter to Grillo sonically, but the chemistry is amiss.  "Run, Run" is an angry kiss off song with a vengeful streak and punk rock flair. Audra comes off shrill here, losing tone and temperance in an effort to overact the part. Chaser Eight closes out with the electronic grooves of the PaWa remix of "Without Love". It's hard to tell what Chaser Eight intended here, as the song gets lost in an electronic wash that steals the distinctiveness of their sound and of Audra's one of a kind voice. 

Chaser Eight comes off as a band with an identity crisis on At The 426. No thematic or musical consistency emerges on the EP, other than a sort of emotional observational style with navel self-implications. Audra has a voice that can be stunning with the right material, and Chaser Eight shows an occasional flair for anthemic songwriting. This EP is a curiosity; a suggestion of what might be, for good or ill. 

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.chasereight.com.