THE DAILY CHASE // Putting In The Hard Yards

Flailing his arms around like a madman to execute the brutal rhythms of Feel Alive, the new EP from The Daily Chase, it’s safe to say that drummer Ben Heidrich is one sweaty bugger. “Yes, yes I am,” he chuckles. “Definitely a change of clothes after a show!”

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The second EP from the Adelaide outfit is simply metalcore magic, The Daily Chase setting up shop in the genre with only the softest touch of other elements. Though Feel Alive took its cue from Foundations, their debut EP released in 2015, Heidrich says the band are always trying to change things up. “It’s a little different,” says Heidrich, “We took a different approach on our first single Void on the whole vibe–this isn’t our image but we’re trying new things and express ourselves differently.

“A lot more went into this one. We spent a lot more time writing songs and getting them to where we want them to be rather than putting something out we thought was cool to start off with.”

The Daily Chase cite many post-hardcore, punk, and alternative bands as their influences, and some tracks on the EP, like The Fear, are a little more ambient than you may expect. The Daily Chase are comfortable and at home though and don’t need to work to stand out. “We haven’t tried to change our style too much,” says Heidrich, “Me and Marc [guitarist Marc Patterson] would work on writing riffs and drum patterns and making songs work, and adding that punk element and fast-paced riffs in the metalcore style, that’s just our sound I guess. We do like trying new things but mainly growing as a band and letting the band develop is the main thing, and having fun doing it.”

I guess it’s a pretty hard scene to crack into and if hard work is what it takes, then that’s what you’ve gotta do
[ Ben Heidrich ]

It’s here Heidrich blows everything out of the water, revealing an element of dedication and a work strategy within the band unlike any other. “I mentioned the difference in the writing process between the first EP and Feel Alive—we actually wrote Feel Alive while living interstate. I live in NSW and the band still lives in SA. Me and Marc wrote the whole EP over the internet, went back and forth with riffs and songs and pre-recorded vocals and did all the pre-production ourselves.”

Well, colour me stunned. “I think our songs were better thought out using that process,” Heidrich continues, “Rather than a jam format, we actually had to write everything, everything down.” For three years, The Daily Chase have maintained their formation in this manner. They’ve maintained their passion for performance, they’ve toured together and, thanks to the advent of technology, they’ve been able to work together. Such dedication to a cause is impressive and certainly to this degree, hard to come by. “I just love my band, we have a really good bond and we don’t want to give up,” says Heidrich. “It’s been a little difficult at times, a lot of driving.

“I’ll do a ten hour drive from [home in] Wagga Wagga for the SA shows and drive back. When we have interstate shows the guys will fly over and we’ll drive from my place to Sydney or Melbourne.”

There’s evidently a particular calibre of talent, dedication and hardwork by SA bands to penetrate the East Coast in general. “I guess it’s a pretty hard scene to crack into and if hard work is what it takes, then that’s what you’ve gotta do,” says Heidrich. “We’ve met so many bands over the years and so many have welcomed us to their town and put on shows and got us involved in their scene, and we do the same when they come to SA, get them as involved in the shows as they did for us.”

The Daily Chase are making waves out on tour now and for them, all the hectic scheduling, hours spent driving and the juggling of life’s little elements are all made worth it when they get to take to the stage. “It’s pretty hectic,” says Heidrich of the tour. “Resurgence Fest [SA] is gonna be really awesome! That’s gonna be a cracker weekend!”

The Daily Chase Tour Dates 2018:

Friday 8 June // Uni Bar // Adelaide (18+)
Sunday 10 //June // Grand Tasman // Port Lincoln (18+)
Friday 22 June // South Aussie Pub // Mount Gambier (All Ages)
Saturday 23 June // BANG // Melbourne (18+)
Thursday 28 June // Crowbar // Brisbane (18+)
Sunday 1 July // The Bald Faced Stag // Sydney (18+)