Chase Hamblin Returns With New Single

Chase Hamblin. Photo: Taylor Morgan

On pretty much any given night, you can catch a pretty solid songwriter performing in spots all over this city.  The beauty of Houston is that with all of our diversity, our music scene has plenty of stellar artists to offer. However, for the past five years or so, Chase Hamblin has been proving that he could be a contender for one of our city’s best songwriters.  His use of sixties pop sensibility and traditional rock n’ roll hooks could be one of the best uses of craft you can hear.  On his new single, “Fools,” released exclusively here, Hamblin uses those components to create another song that sticks in your head after just one listen.

There are the traditional Hamblin elements of his signature sound that you can’t steer away from.  There’s something to how he crafts his tunes in that they remind you of the past without coming off like he copped someone else’s sound.  Mixing keys that remind you of “Daydream Believer” by The Monkeys, a chorus that makes you want to protest the Vietnam war, while his saccharine sweet vocals dance atop the instruments like a peaceful ghost.  There are moments on the track where he mixes things up by going with just his voice and the drums before his signature hollow body guitar comes in to grab your ears back to that happy place that his tunes often create.  The engineering from Josh Applebee at SugarHill mixed with Chris Longwood’s mastering services keep the sound that Hamblin has become known for, while utilizing the best technologies to offer up a tune that’s better than most of Chase’s contemporaries.

The track just proves further that Hamblin is one of the strongest songwriters you can hear today.  In just a bit over three minutes, Chase Hamblin keeps his chops as a writer up while the listener gets all the benefits of his labors.  You can purchase “Fools” on Chase Hamblin’s bandcamp here, on Monday August 22nd.  Keep your eyes peeled for Hamblin’s next performance in town, or you can catch him at End Hip End It Festival in Old Town Spring on October 22.  Tickets and information are available here.  

by David Garrick