Sometimes you hear a great new single, and it makes you immediately clamor for hearing more from that artist. This is exactly what happened to me when singer-songwriter Chase Tremaine sent me over his new single called “Middle Of My Words.” The track features everything you’d want in a great-sounding alternative rock song: lush guitar riffs, smooth vocals, as well as few “studio tricks” to keep things moving on the right trajectory for an artist. Tremaine shared on Bandcamp about what inspired this latest EP: “Ironically, these three tracks are also taken directly from the middle stretch of my upcoming third studio album, Accidental Days. I decided to put this EP together after realizing that I would not be able to release Accidental Days in 2022 as originally planned. The full album is now due in early 2023, and I think this EP makes a fitting standalone project as I ask you, my friends, to wait a few extra months before getting to hear the full thing.” By crafting a three-song EP filled with so much promise and poise, Chase Tremaine is able to re-ignite excitement for fans of his music, while still teasing all of the new possibilities of what is to come on his third full-length record next year.
The EP, entitled My Heart Settled In the Middle starts with the first single, “Middle of My Words” that finds Tremaine singing the opening bars through a vocoder as he opens with “What do you see in the middle of my words? / Can I speak a blessing, yet you hear a curse / What do you see in the middle of my words? / Wings for the fall, air for the birds / What do you see in the middle of my words?” It’s a nice opening statement that gradually builds to a majestic, pop chorus that reverberates off of the speakers in the best way possible. In between the bars of the chorus and verses, Tremaine adds some well-placed piano in order to transition between each section of the song with veteran ease.
”Settled in the Unsettled” keeps things moving in the right direction, as Tremaine sings over a mostly acoustic guitar before adding some electric elements as the song moves forward. The song reminded me a bit of the sound that Nevershoutnever! was going for on their brand of acoustic/ukulele-based pop, but I definitely prefer Tremaine’s vocal croon over the former. There’s something very comforting in Tremaine’s voice, much like an old friend telling a story, as he closes with, “I can’t use science to pretend that all can be known / Or heap up all my stuff, sit down, and call it a throne / So why do I try to get settled in the unsettled? / Why do we try to get settled in the unsettled?”
Closing out the EP with “Heart Reset” is a wise choice in the sequencing, as it plays out like the closing credits to a short film that hops along with a beating heart of purpose. The opening verse of, “I’d write you a love song to wrap up the day / But unfinished verses would keep me awake / Oh why can’t my mind put you to rhyme? / I’m finished ignoring the problems that stayed / And not done exploring the prices we paid / Oh where’d the time go, who knows, who knows?” is incredibly welcoming, warm, and honest, while still moving the needle forward in Tremaine’s self-discovery.
Overall, this is a perfect EP to put on when you need to be reminded of the vastness of musical artists that are out there working their tails off in order to get noticed by the right person, or audience in order to make their art seem worthwhile. Chase Tremaine deserves this direct praise and recognition as he provides an early indication of what could very well be the most rewarding chapter of his musical career with his upcoming Accidental Days coming next year.