Winding his way towards a new EP, pensive newcomer Worry Club – aka twenty-one-year-old Chicago native Chase Walsh – puts all his troubles into immensely catchy bedroom pop, with earworm hooks that’ll work their way under your skin and refuse to leave for who knows how long. His latest, ‘Work Out’, is worthy of so many repeat listens we may as well cancel this week’s New Music Friday right now.
“I write songs for people who are still figuring out life, relationships, and their own happiness,” says the multi-talented songwriter. “I use my music as a tool to figure all this shit out and I find it cathartic that so many people who listen to my music relate to the things I am feeling… It’s like we get to figure it all out together. Music is the only way I can get some of the negative thoughts out of my head.”
Hi Worry Club, how’s it going? What are you up to today?
Hey! Thank you for having me; I’m doing well. Drinking a lot of coffee, staying inside and making a lot of music in the basement. The usual.
What first got you interested in music, then? Did you grow up in a musical household?
I had one or two relatives who dabbled in guitar. But as far back as I can remember my dad was always playing classic rock and singing very loud. He definitely got me into appreciating music at a young age.
What’s Chicago like for up-and-coming musicians, is there loads going on?
It seems like if you make music, everybody knows it. All musicians seem to know each other here and are really proud being Chicago based musicians.
Which comes first in your songwriting, sounds or lyrics?
Definitely sound. I feel like I need to be interested, sonically, in the song I’m composing. Lyrics begin to flow once you feel the general vibe of the tune.
Can you remember the first-ever song you wrote? What was it about?
Oh god. I remember writing love songs back in fifth grade English class and writing terrible lyrics like “your crystal eyes of blue”. Which sounds great, but there’s no way I knew what I was talking about when I was like 11.
How have you spent 2020? Has the pandemic mucked up many of your plans?
Not too much. I did turn twenty-one right before the pandemic hit, so I never got to properly celebrate. We also had planned on a short tour with our close friends in TV Dinner but decided not to do so around March. But for the most part, things have stayed the same. I never left the house before all of this anyway! It’s given me a little bit more time to make music and mess around with different sounds in the studio.
What can you tell us about your new EP, is it all done and dusted?
Yeah! It’s all written and recorded. I’m just in the weird limbo phase of mixing and playing the songs really loud in my car to make sure they sound perfect.
How do you approach curating the tracklisting for something like that?
It’s definitely tough releasing multiple songs at a time and choosing which ones will go on the record. I have files on files of songs and I really love them all, but it all comes down to how the EP sounds as a cohesive piece of music.
You can play an awful lot of instruments – do you have a favourite?
It would have to be the drums for me. Drums are my only way to get that anger and frustration out sometime. I truly see it as a form of mediation. Just toss some of my favourite songs on and bang away at the drums. It’s a good time and great exercise honestly.
Do you ever lend your musical talents to other artists, or are you all about Worry Club at the moment?
I love helping people out with their projects in any way that they need. Whether it be with guitar, drums, mixing or whatever else they feel I can contribute! I always think it’s cool stepping out of your own creative process and becoming a moving part of someone else’s process.
What are your hopes for 2021?
I really hope to reach more people with these tunes we’re putting out. The fans that support Worry club are some of the coolest people, and I can honestly say they are close friends. I hope worry club can become a sort of safe place where people can meet and collaborate with each other.
Worry Club’s single ‘Work Out’ is out now.
