CHAD releases debut album ‘mid’

Coming out of a Portland basement, CHAD has since staked their claim as one of the most exciting acts on the rise in the modern alternative pop sphere. Formed by four friends brought together by a shared sense of creative energy, the band’s story feels like something out of a lo-fi coming-of-age film; Sarah Lane, Alex Widner, Zach Whiton and Trevor Greely converging underground to instil emotion into hook-filled songs that skate the line between dreamy and defiant.

CHAD first emerged in 2019 with “I Got Time,” a debut single that hinted at the band’s blend of 90s nostalgia and fresh pop instincts. That early offering was followed up by two EPs, with 2019’s Good Talk and 2020’s Under the Firmament, as well as a string of singles over the next three years. Their work struck a chord well beyond local bars and basements, earning them a spot on the 2024 PDX Pop Now! compilation and even soundtracking scenes in the Bollywood indie film The Queen of My Dreams, proof that their music carries emotion far beyond genre or geography.

After a quiet spell, CHAD now makes an emphatic return with mid, their first full-length album and an thrilling leap forward in both scope and sound. There’s nothing tentative about this record, it feels deliberate, crafted and uncompromising all at once, serving up a collection of songs that wears its heart on its sleeve, capturing the highs of youth alongside the slow-burn of heartbreak and the subtle gravity of growing up.

Built around a guitar-driven aesthetic and drifting into synth-laced dream pop by the album’s second half, mid mirrors the magnetism of CHAD’s live performances. It’s a deliberate shape-shift, one that pulls you through phases of sound and sentiment. The album was recorded across Portland studios Jackpot Recording and SingSang, with a production team that includes Zach Bloomstein, Tobias Berblinger, Kyle Cregan and Stephen Stack, featuring bass guitar performances from Josh Lambe and Mori Dinauer.

Opened by the softly hurried guitar plucks on “Girl,” Sarah’s delicate voice rings out as the arrangement gently builds up with layers of guitar lines and the laid back patter of drums. Crafting a playful pop rock scene, the slick rhythmic shifts and dashes of woozy synth elements forms an engaging listening experience that’s memorable and unique throughout.

“Train” presents a filtered sound that comes into focus with the rustle of shuffling drums, intricate guitar tones and hushed vocal leads, contrasted by the fuzz of the bass to lay down a brief and charming jam. With “A Friend,” the dreamy flutter of synth is met by the crunch of distorted guitar, strike of drums and pulse of bass before slipping into an elegant, downtempo pop-focused indie rock soundscape that’s at once blissfully melodic and subtly gritty.

Perhaps the emotional anchor of the album is “Blue Highway,” a track that swaps swagger for tenderness. A duet between Sarah and drummer Trevor Greely, it’s both a sonic and lyrical highlight, a bittersweet ode to impermanence wrapped in upbeat folk-rock instrumentation. The juxtaposition between the infectious melody and the underlying melancholy hits hard, echoing the album’s recurring theme that things don’t last, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t beautiful.

“Park n’ Ride,” one of the album’s lead singles, is a shout-along anthem disguised as a rebellion-in-motion. With Alex Widner’s pulsing synth line driving the track forward, it’s a rallying cry for the aimless and the restless, a skateboarding daydream wrapped in anti-conformist spirit. Songs like “Taco Shark” sees the band lean into their intricate, emotive songwriting as the grooving snap of drums and sparse instrumentation underpins Sarah’s moving vocal performance, resulting in an epic showcase of the band’s ability to pair thoughtful writing with sonic appeal.

Closing the record with “Rule the World,” the band brings their full shared musical vision together for a breezy synth rock jam that flows with smooth rhythmic bounce, a combination of warm guitars and bright synth elements, capped by graceful, layered vocal work. From start to finish, on mid, the band delivers a superb display of their songwriting talent and performance panache, presenting a magnum opus that’s sure to win over fans around the world.

Listen to mid below