Album Review for Chasing Vegas' – What Happens Here Stays Here
Chasing Vegas is a 3 piece pop-rock/punk band out of Washington, consisting of Matt Reams (Lead Vocals), Justin Cecil (Bass) and Peter Van Luenen (Guitar).
This past summer they followed Warped Tour to promote themselves to the country and ended up volunteering with some non-profits on the tour. This Fall, Chasing Vegas is releasing their new album What Happens Here Stays Here produced by Brandon Metcalf (He is We, the Scene Aesthetic) in the studio of Destiny Syndicate.
The album’s sound is easily compared to All Time Low. The band has that rock/punk sound with the heavier guitar and distinctive drums but still has the softer elements of pop music in the way where it’s not yet heavy or metal.
The first track, All Stars, is a great way to start off an album. The fast, up-beat tune is great to bounce around to. But even with the “bouncing” there’s parts with a nice instrumental breakdown that show off the more punk side of things.
Another song on the album, Bad News, has a very similar sound to the Maine. Right off the bat you’re intrigued by the chords and beat. The lyrics are the general “go to a party, meet a girl, she turns out annoying, but you still have fun at the party no matter what” ones that most albums seem to have recently but the way the song is executed isn’t like the typical “cookie-cutter” pop ones you’d be hearing on the radio or even by other bands in this genre.
A favorite is I Don’t Wanna Be (Believe Me). This track is super catchy and the lyrics are something a lot of people could relate to. It talks about not being like everyone else. “I don’t want to be un-original, ‘cause I just want to be unforgettable.” It’s a good message to listeners to not become the norm.
Something about this album I’ve noticed in particular is that the guitarist is incredible. Mad props to Peter Van Luenen because he really caught my ear. Each track starts with fun and diverse chord progressions that really pulls someone in. With music now-a-days, it’s easy to hear the same notes in each song with little to no variations, but with this album the instrumentals in each seem to have their own different quality.
Though, this is making the album sound practically perfect, the tempo to each song was about the same. All were fast-pace with a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge/instrumental breakdown, chorus. I understand that’s generally how all songs go, but sometimes there’s a little change between each song or maybe a ballad type track to break up the album a bit. But honestly, that seems to be my only really big critique. For a group that this recently came together, this album is incredible.
Chasing Vegas is definitely a band to watch out for. What Happens Here Stays Here was put together well and super impressive. It’s set to release November 6, 2012.
I would highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy music from bands like Cartel, Hit the Lights, Boys Like Girls, etc.
[rating=4]