Between day jobs, near-misses on rooftops and the odd jam session, Chasing Astrid are keeping things pretty grounded.
The band might be spread across the country originally, but these days they’re based in Margaret River, making music that pulls from coastal living with a slightly darker undercurrent.
Their new single ‘Endless Supply’ is the first taste of their upcoming EP Ordinary Life, introducing a shift in sound with shared lead vocals and a bit more depth across the board.
Written after time spent touring Northern WA, the track reflects on the clash between natural beauty and industry — without overthinking it.
With an East Coast tour coming up in May, the band are stepping into a new chapter, still rooted in surfy energy but with a clearer sense of what they want to say.
The official visualiser for Endless Supply lands at 9pm EST.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
CHASING ASTRID: Did the usual 8 hour work day, got stuck on a roof and then had a jam with Kye (the drummer in our band).
The rest of the band are currently on remote trips in Indo so they’re living it up!
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
CHASING ASTRID: We’re from all over Australia, I’m from Kiama NSW, Kye’s from Ulladulla NSW, Ty’s from Melbourne and Yas is from Adelaide so there’s a big range of influences from each of us.
We all currently live in Margaret River which is a beautiful place to be living.
There are an unlimited amount of beaches to have to yourself, lot’s of big trees and all the people are like-minded and easy going.
The music scene has slowly started taking off in the past year or so and it’s really cool to be a part of it!
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HAPPY: ‘Endless Supply’ is your first taste of the upcoming sophomore EP, Ordinary Life. Why did this feel like the right track to introduce the next chapter?
CHASING ASTRID: Our second EP introduces Yas’ amazing voice as a lead vocal whereas our first EP she was only in a few for backing.
‘Endless Supply’ has both of us singing a lead part so it felt right for it to be the first track and set the tone for the rest of the EP.
HAPPY: The song was written while touring Northern WA. Can you describe the specific moment you realized the contrast between the natural beauty and the industrial landscape had to become a song?
CHASING ASTRID: For me it was when we were filming the ‘Hydrophobic’ video clip from our first EP.
We were on a bus on the way to Karijini National Park and as we were driving I noticed that we were surrounded by mines and mining cars.
The biggest wake up call for me was when I found out they had cut out a section of the National Park so Rio Tinto could mine there which was pretty crazy to me.
It wasn’t until I got home that I turned it into a song and almost did it subconsciously.
HAPPY: Lyrically, the song touches on the idea that we are all part of the problem without realising it. Was it difficult to write from that perspective without sounding preachy?
CHASING ASTRID:All of the lyrics came pretty naturally to me and I didn’t give them too much thought as I was writing them.
After I recorded a demo and sent it to the band I realised what the song was about and once the others added their touch it made me even more aware of the song’s meaning.
HAPPY: Being a WA-based band, you see the “money vs. environment” tension firsthand. How does your home in Margaret River influence the way you write about these heavier topics?
CHASING ASTRID: Margaret River is a super progressive town when it comes to protecting the environment and is full of amazing people doing cool things.
Being a beachy town we’re drawn to that fun sound of music, but there is still an aspect of darkness in our lyrics as the world’s a pretty messed up place.
When we write lyrics we’re taking an active decision to try and make them meaningful and hopefully it comes across like that.
There’s also a weird contrast in Margaret RIver of people trying to save the environment and people who hate ‘hippies’. It’s strange considering it’s such a beautiful part of the world but sometimes people don’t realise it’s not an endless supply.
HAPPY: You’re heading out on an East Coast tour in May. What can fans expect from the Ordinary Life live show that they might not have seen before?
CHASING ASTRID: We’re so excited to be playing our first interstate shows, especially a few hometown shows for Kye and I.
Our goal with a live show is to just have fun and hope it rubs off on the crowd too. T
These new songs are a bit less surf rock than our first EP and have a few more layers which are fun to play live.
HAPPY: What was the biggest challenge you faced when recording this new single compared to your previous work?
CHASING ASTRID: ‘Endless Supply’ took us a surprisingly long time to record.
We had been playing it live for months and thought we had it dialled but it ended up taking us the longest time out of all our new songs.
I’m not too sure why, maybe we were too comfortable with it and that got the better of us or maybe it was because we were being perfectionists about it but we finally got there in the end!
HAPPY: You’ve built a reputation for lively, engaging shows. Is there a specific venue in WA that you consider a “home base” or a favourite spot to play?
CHASING ASTRID: The Servo in Cowaramup is our favourite venue to play for sure.
We’ve played there maybe 10 times in the past year and each time there’s a decent crowd and the hospitality is incredible.
All the staff are so nice and they look after bands and artists every time.
Honourable mention to Froth Brewery in Bunbury. We’ve played there twice, once a headline and show and most recently supporting The Rions, and both times the staff have been super helpful and go above and beyond when it comes to the artists food and drinks!(even for the support band!!)
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
CHASING ASTRID: Swimming, surfing, hanging out with friends and family and my beautiful girlfriend.
Playing guitar and writing new things is my favourite thing to do ever. Also driving just before sunset with good tunes.
