Review: Chase Huglin’s ‘You Deserve An Island’

Following in the footsteps of a few stellar singles and an impressive 2015 EP Glow, Chase Huglin’s debut album, You Deserve An Island, proves that he not only has a well-deserved space in the acoustic-indie scene—he also makes it clear that he has grown to deserve his place, too.

You Deserve An Island doesn’t stray from Huglin’s lush, endearing acoustic tunes that we’ve grown to love. But it’s evident that there’s a special precision, with each track existing as a piece of standalone art, but combined, each individual song creates a storyline that progresses fluidly from start to finish.

"Wind Chimes" opens the album with an almost literal breath of fresh air, and the record closes off with "Folded Hands," a heart-wrenching song about never forgetting. Interspersed with tracks that vary in pace and tone, the album's atmosphere is seemingly meant to be played live. Soothing vocals and entrancing acoustic energy are both complimented by one of the most impressive lyrical narratives I've heard this year.

The striking lyricism creates a landscape for the emotions wrought with love and loss surrounding growing up. It’s as much about asking for forgiveness and finding hope for the future as it is about drowning your pride and growing from past mistakes. It’s about learning lessons and understanding why we’re here. It’s about loving fully and falling out of it. A good song makes you question your beliefs and challenges you to understand yourself more fully—everything that Huglin nails with this release.

Taking its place in the acoustic genre as a whole, You Deserve An Island thrives in beautiful simplicity. The binding element through every track is the raw relatability that delicately pounds at your heartstrings. His stripped-down instrumentals and compelling words are saturated with the thoughts on growing up through his own experience. You Deserve an Island is about forgiving and forging ahead—and always remembering that if someone "deserves an island," making sure to acknowledge it.

Want more from Chase Huglin? Pre-order You Deserve An Island here. Catch his release show at Entourage Music in Fort Wayne, Indiana with Bonfires and September Stories on 9/27. For more details, check out the event.

InVogue Records

Track listing:
1. Wind Chimes
2. Pills
3. Here Right Now
4. Niagara
5. Hell
6. Your Side Of The Bed
7. I Want To Go
8. You Deserve An Island
9. Soap Direction
10. Folded Hands

Tour dates with SayWeCanFly & more:
11/03 - Toronto, Canada // Hard Luck Bar
11/04 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Voltage Lounge
11/05 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
11/06 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall (Studio)
11/08 - Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry
11/09 - Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot (Pike Room)
11/10 - Columbus, OH @ Park Street Saloon
11/11 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
11/12 - Burnsville, MN @ The Garage
11/13 - Saint Louis, MO @ Fubar
11/18 - Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
11/19 - Van Nuys, CA @ White Oak
11/20 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/22 - Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
11/23 - Albuquerque, NM @ Blu Phoenix
11/25 - San Antonio, TX @ The Korova
11/26 - Fort Worth, TX @ Tomcats West
11/27 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
11/29 - Orlando, FL @ Backbooth
11/30 - St Petersburg, FL @ Local 662
12/01 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
12/02 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
12/03 - Greensboro, NC @ Arizona Pete’s
12/04 - Howell, NJ @ GameChangerWorld (Lab)

Get your tickets here.

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Dead Fall: Ohio pop punkers on their game-changing EP 'Desperate Situations'

This has been the year for Ohio-based pop punkers Dead Fall. When we sat down to chat, you’d never guess that these humble guys have hit some awesome milestones—they’re simply grateful for it all. But after kicking off 2016 with the release of their EP Desperate Situations, the group is finally starting to feel like they’re gaining some momentum—and they have the proof to back it up.

Their latest release has proven they have found their sound in the genre. Since 2013, they've been slowly figuring it out. Now people are responding, and their successful EP kickoff simply made them realize that they're on the right track.

“That was the biggest like, ‘Oh shit. People are singing these words. They actually know them,’” vocalist Jake Gambatese says of their EP release show. “People were getting on stage, singing along with us. It was pretty cool.”

And as they take the stage at Mahall’s in Cleveland, the guys exude a kind of entrancing energy, all driven by the band's understanding of how to put on a dynamic show. “The more shows we play, I feel like the better we understand how to play live,” Gambatese says.

"FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A PURPOSE!" From our EP release at The Grog Shop 1/9/16. 📷: @garlicjunior_

A photo posted by Dead Fall (@deadfallofficial) on Feb 11, 2016 at 11:37am PST

And the local scene has given them these opportunities to play live; it's one of the few places where any band in the scene would wish to get their start. Based in the college town of Kent, Dead Fall have found a way to thrive in a space that’s as supportive as it is stimulating—a connection to a group of people who are all trying to do the same thing.

In their formative years, the band would take any opportunity thrown their way—it didn’t matter how many shows were in a month, or what genre they were (yes, rap included). But every experience has influenced their sound and the product they’re creating, which may be why they’re not the easiest to nail down.

Nick Barker provides the band’s throbbing beats, with Anthony Lupica and Ryan Task yielding searing guitar riffs, Seth Holt bringing the bass and Gambatese rounding off the effort with rough-around-the-edges vocals. The group finds a way to stray from the cookie-cutter pop punk equation by throwing in post-hardcore breakdowns (“In The Way”) and finding a comfort in slowing down with melodic, acoustic-driven tracks as well (“Deadline”).

Though 2016 may slowly be coming to a close, it's still a promising look ahead for the group. They're hoping for more recording and more rad gigs, with a game-changing opportunity to open for pop punk powerhouses Neck Deep come September. The guys are finally seeing their hard work pay off, and if anything is evident after this year’s success, it’s that Dead Fall has nowhere to go but up.

Want more Dead Fall? Pick up a copy of Desperate Situations here, and check out their social links below.

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Life Lessons: 'I Know What I’m Not' helped them find what they are

Oklahoma City-based pop punkers Life Lessons had quite a July. They dropped a new EP, I Know What I'm Not, toured the East coast with Sudden Suspension and, when I chatted with them, were catching their breath after playing a set in Cleveland, Ohio. They're 15 hours from home, and people knew their lyrics—saying they were blown away would be an understatement.

But it's moments like this that they've experienced on the road, and touring on their most recent release has been their top priority. “We’re just trying to tour hard right now. Get in front of people. That’s all that matters,” says vocalist Kaden Birdsong. “If we get in front of people, we think, and hope, that we can impress them.”

“We hope that we can make a good impression,” chimes in guitarist Alex Akins. “Or at least some kind of impression.”

And an impression is what they’ve made—whether they want to admit to it or not. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Life Lessons have been recording and releasing music since 2013. But it was 2015’s What The Silence Meant, their first “real” EP, with Birdsong on vocals, Akins on guitar, Chris Lewis on drums, Josh O'Dell on guitar/vocals and Andrew Wasson on bass, that truly solidified what the band wanted to become.

After years of developing their sound in a home scene saturated with hardcore, the pop punkers have found a mix between emo and pop punk, with ardent vocals, dynamic guitar riffs and thundering drum beats reflecting the likes of Knuckle Puck and The Wonder Years.

Coming from an area where hardcore reigns supreme, the guys had to find what they wanted to create—and make that stick. “When we started writing the songs for this last EP, that is when we started feeling really confident in what we were doing. We were like, ‘No, we’re making solid music. We need to tour. We need to push.’ I’m proud of where we are right now," says Birdsong. "We’re going hard. Oklahoma needs to be put on the map by a couple bands.”

Oklahoma City may not be a pop punk capital of the world—the scene isn’t as saturated as Chicago, or even Cleveland, where the guys are at tonight. But there’s a spark there. Young people are starting bands and coming out to shows. The guys think back to 2012 when the scene was thriving, and they’re excited to see that there's life flowing back through it again. They don’t see a positive response to their EP as simply a testament to themselves—it’s for the local scene as a whole.

“It’s kind of nice for the community, as opposed to just ourselves,” says Akins. “The people that were around then know what it was like, as opposed to the newer kids that when you show them one of the videos [from 2012], they’re just like, ‘That’s a local show?’ ‘Yeah, that’s a local headliner.’”

“The rest of us that were around feel like all the big shows, yeah, we finally have that again,” says Birdsong. “These kids are like, ‘Woah, where did this come from?’"

And this local response is enough to keep the fire going. After a solid release and an exciting year of touring ahead, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they're making a name for themselves. “The EP release show and tour kick off was the first time we’ve been like, ‘Oh shit, there are so many people watching us.’ It was awesome,” says Birdsong. “It was the first time we’ve been like, ‘Damn, if we could do this everywhere, it’d be amazing.’”

And if the humble guys keep up the pace they're at now, they might just be the next big thing.

Want more Life Lessons? Pick up a copy of I Know What I'm Not here, and check out their social links below.

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Marina City: Chicago's "lost boys" are finding their way

Think about four-year growth in terms of high school. By the time senior year rolls around, there’s a good chance that things have finally sorted themselves out.

Like those high school years, Marina City has four years and three EPs under their belt. With their fourth release set to drop this summer, the band has made it clear that their “senior year” is proving to be their year on top.

The self-proclaimed “aggressive pop rockers” have a list of impressive feats and are included on almost every must-see list for both Warped Tour and Riot Fest. But that doesn’t mean that they have it all figured out. "I think we're getting closer to what we really want to do," Ryan Argast (lead vocals) says. "It's just evolving every day right now."

In fact, the past four years have consisted of trying, and trying some more. Their sound blends A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out theatrics with Infinity On High's powerful melodies, proving that Marina City has found its roots in the scene. But the band doesn't want to be pigeonholed into one specific genre, and after giving their discography a listen, it’s a valid argument to make.

Eric Somers-Urrea provides driving beats, Todor Birindjiev and Brian Johnson supply addictive riffs, Matthew Gaudiano’s use of keyboard bestows a magical melody, and Aaron Heiy’s bold strums on the bass are all directly complimented by what sets them apart most: the group’s three vocalists. Argast and Gaudiano’s silky smooth vocals combined with Johnson’s rough-around-the-edges sound truly defines the six piece's aggressive pop rock sound.

The group just finished an East Coast run with pop punkers and fellow Chicago natives Sleep On It, and it’s the windy city scene that has helped them get where they are. In fact, they took home the 2016 Band of the Year award at the annual Chicago Nightlife Awards. “We’re very into being Chicago-ans, and everyone around us is like that,” Argast says. “The local scene has been absolutely amazing. It’s getting stronger and stronger every day, so we are very lucky to be a part of that.”

And this success has spread much further than their Chi-town home base. They claimed the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands champions title in 2015—and got all the opportunities that go with it.

One such Ernie Ball champ reward? A run on Warped Tour come July. “We’ve all started working out regularly, like no joke,” Argast says. “We learned that we were going to be on Warped Tour in October, and since that it’s been nothing but preparing mentally and physically about how we’re going to do it. Because it’s an opportunity that you get once in a lifetime, and we want to take over.”

Expecting East coast or Midwest tour stops—the band’s typical treading ground—they weren’t expecting a West Coast run. “I think it’s actually a positive that they gave us all West coast Warped Tour dates because it’s a challenge for us, and we love challenges,” Birindjiev says.

And just like their senior year Warped win, the guys have also had the chance to work with the likes of Craig Owens (of Chiodos fame) and John Feldmann (who’s worked with the likes of Panic! At The Disco, Blink-182, Good Charlotte, All Time Low—the list could go on) this spring.

“In one month we recorded with Feldmann and Craig, and it was so eye-opening,” Argast says. “We learned more in that month than we did in about four years as a band. Both of those guys are amazing individuals and incredible musicians and producers.”

And their exciting year isn’t over yet.

Looking at their successes, it’s clear that the challenges they’ve taken on have paid off. As they prepare for a release of their fourth EP, Lost Doesn’t Mean Alone, it's obvious that these guys really aren’t lost at all. They’re well on their way for something bigger.  “We work on this band 24/7,” Argast says. “Be prepared for Warped Tour and Riot Fest, and we’ll see where the band goes from there.”

Want more Marina City? Preorder their EP here, and be sure to check out their social links below.

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