EP PREMIERE: Bela Chase - Velocity Raptor

Emergent Newcastle talent Bela Chase won us over earlier this month with her gorgeous, atmospheric single Space Kicks, and now we're lucky enough to follow that up with the premiere of her just-released new EP, Velocity Raptor.

The four-track extended player comes after Chase's return to Australia after spending time in London's indie-pop scene over the past six years as part of her collective pursuit Bela Takes Chase. Now operating wholly solo, Chase has constructed an EP that builds on the solid, swirling groundwork laid down by the aptly titled Space Kicks to deliver a captivating debut, from the minimalist, arpeggiated body and layered build-up of its opening title track and the reverb-drenched power and delicacy of I Forgot To Say to the sunny distortion of the eminently hooky and deeply replayable Dirt Face. Throughout, Chase shows keen musical intelligence, her mellifluous soundscapes never feeling under- nor over-filled, and consequently frequently achieving much with relatively little.  

In short: it's bloody delightful and an assured debut solo effort from a worldly and whimsical musician with massive amounts of talent to share, and we should consider ourselves fortunate to be within earshot.

She recently launched the EP in Melbourne, but if you're keen on hearing these sweet sounds in the flesh, Chase will be performing at Since I Left You, in Sydney, for closer-to-home launch on Thursday 20 October; see the event page for more information. 

Otherwise, if you dig the sounds but can't make the show, head to Bela's Facebook page to keep on top of her upcoming movements.