As drummer for eclectic Brooklyn octet San Fermin, Michael Hanf is no stranger to the unconventional. So when he decided to step out on his own, it made sense that the results were a little bit similar.
“Chaser” is meant to be part of a studio record Hanf is working on in his free time, recording and performing everything himself in places like hotel rooms, green rooms and the tour van.
“I really like working alone with this stuff,” he says. “I feel like I’ve been studying how people run bands and write music — and man is that process varied — so I can approach different creative problems using a series of mindsets borrowed from current or former bandleaders or songwriters I’ve worked with. Like a toolbox of mentalities, I guess. Also, I’m never on anyone else’s time. If a guitar solo isn’t working, I can just redo as many times or over as many days as I have to.”
Sonically, the song is tough to classify. The pulsating bass line calls to mind Interpol, but that comparison ends with Hanf’s shimmering instrumentation and soft-spoken vocals. Really, the only way to classify it would be with one of those wordy genre tags, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll just let the song speak for itself.