walking upstream…
Chase Atlantic
sourcesWikipedia — Chase Atlantic
Chase Atlantic formed in 2014 when Cairns, Australia brothers Mitchel and Clinton Cave teamed with drummer-vocalist Christian Anthony, sliding out of a scrappy pop-punk and Warped Tour circuit into a moodier, bass-heavy alternative R&B built on trap hi-hats, synth washes, and falsetto hooks. Songs like 'Swim' and 'Numb to the Feeling' turned the trio into festival mainstays and a cult streaming phenomenon without ever landing a radio hit, and later tracks like 'Into It' carried them into the mainstream via TikTok. They've kept mutating since — pop-punk into R&B into trap into glossy alt-pop — while staying tied to the nocturnal, bass-forward mood that defined their breakout.
the sound in question
2017
SWIMChase Atlantic
walk the tributaries ↓
The Weeknd2010s · Alternative R&B / R&B / Pop
Asked which artist 'undoubtedly influences' their sound, the band named The Weeknd outright and separately called him their dream co-headliner; his nocturnal falsetto floating over minor-key synths set the atmospheric template Chase Atlantic reach for on their moodiest alt-R&B tracks.
listen: upstream & heresource: Fashion Industry Broadcast — Q&A ↗
2015
The HillsThe Weeknd
2017
SWIMChase Atlantic
listen forPlay The Weeknd's brooding 'The Hills' next to Chase Atlantic's 'SWIM' — both wrap a breathy, high falsetto around a slow, bass-heavy synth pulse that never resolves into a bright pop chorus.
Skrillex2010s · Dubstep / Brostep / EDM
Christian Anthony has said the trio 'bonded over our mutual love of Skrillex' when they first met as teenagers trying out for an Australian TV talent show; the buzzing sub-bass, glitchy sound design, and maximalist drops that define Skrillex's dubstep still surface whenever Chase Atlantic lean into their most electronic-leaning production.
listen: upstream & heresource: Fashion Industry Broadcast — Q&A ↗
2010
Scary Monsters and Nice SpritesSkrillex
2017
FRIENDSChase Atlantic
listen forPlay Skrillex's wobbling 'Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites' next to Chase Atlantic's 'FRIENDS' — both pile distorted bass stabs and skittering, glitched-out drops under an otherwise pop vocal structure.
Travis Scott2010s · Hip hop / Trap / Psychedelic hip hop
Explaining how relocating to America reshaped their sound, the band pointed to the trap and hip-hop 'blowing up' there and named Travis Scott specifically among the artists they'd been listening to for years; his warped, Auto-Tuned rap-singing over booming 808s is audible whenever Chase Atlantic lean into their own hip-hop-adjacent cuts.
listen: upstream & heresource: Fashion Industry Broadcast — Q&A ↗
2015
AntidoteTravis Scott
2018
Numb to the FeelingChase Atlantic
listen forPlay Travis Scott's woozy 'Antidote' next to Chase Atlantic's 'Numb to the Feeling' — both bury a heavily processed, half-sung half-rapped vocal in reverb over a slow-rolling trap beat.