Chasing Vampires
Not Satisfied
The band is called “Chasing Vampires,” and they are a ghost on Social Media. No idea where they are based out of, and no idea how many persons are in the band. They’re first song (Don’t You Leave) was released in August of this year, “Not Satisfied” is their second. Let’s jump right in and check out the track!
Right off the bat, the acoustic riff and drum tones remind me killer 90’s acoustic rock - Jeff Buckley, Patty Griffin (One Big Love), maybe a little Radiohead. We’re in E major, about 56 BPM, bouncing back & forth between the 1 and 4 in the first verse. Melody is based off the 3rd, creating a nice separation in the mix and production with a vocal delivery that emulates the exhaustion and loneliness of the lyrical topic. With the chorus, we get a nice 5 4 1 progression for the first section, before a 6 5 4 5 tag that takes us into the second verse. Production and mix are solid. Love the tones from the snare and what I’m assuming is a Fender playing the lead riffs. Mic choice and placement on the acoustic is well thought out - it’s driving the chords and sits perfectly in the mix. Favorite tone so far has got to be the snare tone - flappy and huge. There’s a really nice lower electric guitar line happening too - might be a baritone - whatever it is, well done.
Second verse is built well - picks up the intensity with a big more presence in the electric and some added effects on the lead vocal. Second chorus has a stronger feel - a smart build - with an increase in the vocal mix and harmonies. Need to emphasize how the production really does a great job of matching the lyrical vibe. With the line “I’m still here, but you’re not satisfied” you’d expect it to be more angry, more up-tempo, but you’d be missing out on the irony in some of (presumably) his lyrics, noticing how funny it is when things change, or don’t, and when emotions shouldn’t change, when they should. Yes, it’s a hard topic (a breakup), and the musical mood that’s created is one of a wondering soul walking through the shell of a relationship, but there’s still some things to be celebrated and discovered - hence the major key.
Love how the guitar solo naturally bleeds out of the second chorus - and sets up a proper solo section that really does a great job exploding on the track. Lovely note choice, lovely tone, great job adding more meat underneath the treat that is the solo. The ending completely caught me off guard - I thought we’d get to another chorus but I dig it.
Wish I knew more about this band, but you know how Vampires are - they’re pretty secretive. At 4:19, this is a solid track that’s mixed and written well, and brings back a lot of great memories from our time on the road in the 90’s. You can tell that this is a project that doesn’t care for the “3 minute rule” is pop and rock writing - and we appreciate that. The tones, structure and vibe of this song call for it to be at least this long, and we would have enjoyed a longer version. This is definitely one for blasting in the car on an open road. Well done, Vampires! Now, who the hell are you? ;)