Joh Chase’s Solo feels adventurous and fresh as it refuses to sit firmly within the bounds of one genre. Reminiscent of Brandi Carlile, tUnE-yArDs, Lucy Dacus, and S.G. Goodman, Solo feels like a departure from previous releases, proving that Joh Chase clearly doesn’t have any limits
Seattle-raised, but Los Angeles-based, Chase has spent much of the last two decades touring and writing – consistently growing their songwriting skills amongst notables like David Bazan and Noah Gunderson. Solo is full of momentous, bright, catchy choruses and verses that, given the chance, you’d likely opt to marinate in for longer. Chase’s lyrical work feels effortless — they painlessly express thoughts we’ve all had or relate with. Songs like “TV of Your Mind,” “Smoother,” and “To Forget You” flow over with instant earworms and choruses begging to be sung aloud. The entire record feels organic and energetic. It is filled to the brim with fresh-feeling songs that act as a renewing of our spirits – right in time for spring.
Lead single, “Avalanche” is an explosive and charismatic tune. From the beginning notes, you feel a raw grit that sounds more like it came out of the hills of Appalachia than the city of Los Angeles. Personal and vulnerable, “Avalanche” feels like it holds unbridled energy close to the listener’s ear so that the moment that Joh drops the chorus (“That love… It hit me like an avalanche”) you really are forced to recall the magnitude of love and what it does to us as humans – both when given, and taken away. The guitar work in “Daniel” feels akin to a Tom Petty song – light and jangly, allowing a lift in the mix that can be felt in much of the album. “Savina” is reminiscent of Brandi Carlile – it pulses and drives, feeling effortless and allowing you to slip into a feeling unique to Joh.
Joh Chase’s Solo is a beautiful meshing of brilliant earworms and serious self-reflection. The record feels like an accumulation of life and stories that beg to be told, an uplifting voice to follow, and the start of a brand new day. As a fan of things that fall slightly out of the ordinary, I’m excited to see where Joh Chase decides to go next.