Premiere: Chic Chameleon Reflects on Life’s Fragility with “Losing SLowly”
Edmonton dream-pop project Chic Chameleon returns with new single "Losing Slowly"—premiering today via REVERIE. the project leans into its most personal work yet, pairing lush shoegaze textures, glowing synths, and jangling guitars with an unflinching meditation on grief, mental illness, and the quiet heartbreak of watching a family unravel.
Serving as the title track from Chic Chameleon's forthcoming full-length album, due August 7, "Losing Slowly" captures the slow burn of inevitable change while reaffirming the project's gift for transforming deeply intimate experiences into expansive, cinematic indie rock. We caught up with the Edmonton artist to discuss the story behind the track, the origins of Chic Chameleon, the gear shaping its dreamlike sound, and a curated playlist for your next roadtrip.
REVERIE: For readers discovering Chic Chameleon for the first time, who are you, and what first drew you toward making music under this project?
CC: I graduated from a jazz composition degree and realized that I really just wanted to write indie rock. I had a lot of pent up ideas that were inspired by bands I was listening to at the time. Slowdive, Beach House and The War On Drugs, were all big inspirations for me and they also influenced the type of gear that I was buying. I was infatuated with reverb and delay and bought a couple different brands of pedals to try to get closer to the sounds I was hearing.
REVERIE: Chic Chameleon is a name that's hard to forget. What's the story behind it, and how does it reflect the music you're making?
CC: Chic Chameleon is actually a lyric from a Bright Eyes song called “Classic Cars.” The line is: “The whole world, it loves you if you’re a chic chameleon.” As a teenager, Bright Eyes was a huge influence for me. I was first exposed to them when they toured through Edmonton with Death Cab For Cutie on the Codes and Keys tour. I often felt like I had to change my personality to fit in with people around me, which is why I resonated with the idea of a chameleon blending in with it’s surroundings.
REVERIE: You're driving across Alberta at sunset, with this track soundtracking the way. What are some additional songs/artists you'd add to the playlist to accompany "Losing Slowly"?
CC: If I was listening to Losing Slowly on a road trip, there would definitely be some dreamy tracks in the cue:
Change into One Another by Discovery Zone, John Moods
Underwater by Porches
Walk In The Park by Beach House
An Ocean Between The Waves by The War On Drugs
Steamroller by feeble little horse
Pulling Our Weight by The Radio Dept.
Charcoal Baby by Blood Orange
You Shouldn’t Be by Lunar Vacation
REVERIE: You're currently based in Edmonton. How has being part of the city's music community influenced your songwriting or the direction of Chic Chameleon?
CC: I think Edmonton is a very supportive place for indie music. Everyone is stoked on everyone else’s projects. Sometimes when I’m feeling discouraged, I look to my fellow musicians for support and encouragement to keep going. I think local shows are the best place to get re-inspired. Everyone is so damn friendly and stoked on music. I think it’s fair to say that it would be hard to keep going in any direction with Chic if it weren’t for my fellow YEG musicians.
REVERIE: What inspired "Losing Slowly" and what emotions do you explore on the track?
CC: “Losing Slowly” is a song with the same name as my full length LP that is slated to come out on August 7th. The concept of “Losing Slowly” was based around the feelings I had as I watched my family system fragment before my eyes. It was an extremely tough time and I retreated into myself. The only solace I could find was through writing music. From the writing process, I was able to release at least some of the anguish that I was experiencing. “Losing Slowly” embodies the feeling where you know what the end result will be, but it’s a slow burn getting there. I was watching mental illness tear a family apart but there’s nothing I could do to stop it or save it.
REVERIE: "Losing Slowly" began with a guitar riff that you couldn't stop playing before evolving into something much more personal. What instruments, tools, or gear are essential for achieving your sound?
CC: I usually start my writing process by riffing around on my jazzmaster. I’ll start humming a vocal melody early on in the process and refine it along the way. The empress reverb is a staple in Chic’s sound; I use it on almost every guitar track. I also started using the Chase Bliss Mood pedal last year, and that has also become an essential tool for shaping a lot of Chic's soundscapes. The Korg minilogue XD is responsible for most of the synth lines. Drums are recorded at home. I use two air mattresses with blankets to treat the room for the drum recording. Unfortunately, both mattresses deflate and I can’t seem to find where they are leaking from. Maybe its a blessing in disguise because I have to be time efficient and get the drum tracking done before they shift or fall. I mix everything myself and cross reference my mixes in the car before sending it off for mastering.
REVERIE: Looking ahead, does "Losing Slowly" hint at where Chic Chameleon is headed creatively? Is this a standalone statement, or part of a larger body of work you're building toward?
CC: As the last track to be released as a single, I think “Losing Slowly” is a statement that I want to represent the entire body of work. I do have some songs that didn’t make it onto the album that I will probably release in the next year or so. There’s always new ideas, but never enough time to record them all. I think Chic is settling into itself and this LP is the groundwork on which the next body of work can stand/build on.
