Music Review: Call Out My Name – Chasing Abbey

Our Muchness Guide has never shied away from reviewing Chasing Abbey’s releases and , naturally, the release of ‘Call Out My Name’ is no exception. However, this single took longer to review than the others simply because the minute details that we usually discuss in reviews require multiple listens of the single to uncover this time around and, to be entirely honest, this was not the song we thought Chasing Abbey would choose to release next. ‘Call Out My Name’ may not be the song I would have chosen to release from the plethora of unreleased gems that Chasing Abbey has stashed away but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a pleasant surprise. It’s not entirely what one would expect from Chasing Abbey but it is a good choice to add to the roster. Since its first appearance in 2019, ‘Call Out My Name’ has been polished and refined into what we have gotten on the studio version but it does make me wonder what inspired the decision to release it now.

Naturally, for those of you who are unaware of who Chasing Abbey are, we’ll happily provide an introduction. Hailing from Tullamore in the Irish midlands, Chasing Abbey consists of Teddy C, Ro and Bee. Known for previous popular releases including ‘Talk To Me’, ‘Choices’ and ‘Lately’, Chasing Abbey have won the Irish Choice Music Award for Song of the Year in 2018 for their single ‘That Good Thing’. Their EP, The Odyssey Project, appeared at number 1 in the Irish Charts upon its release and Billboard US took note of their “pop shimmer and incredibly evocative lyrics” which have resurfaced once more in their newest release ‘Call Out My Name.’

In regard to production, I can’t fault ‘Call Out My Name’. FINALLY! After so long picking out minuscule flaws in Chasing Abbey’s previous releases, Call Out My Name is an excellent blend of production and rhythm that works together seamlessly to make a consistently high calibre track. The beat and underlying loops are the music of the track. It’s simple and effective and this uncluttered approach has made the track identifiable and catchier than the common cold. One thing I’ve noticed from multiple listens on repeat is that the song consists of so many loops and is almost a perfect loop itself as a whole (which, whether intentional or not, it’s very clever) and shows how well the loops that appear in the track have been utilised. Is that, perhaps, to reflect those thoughts that get stuck, circling in your head, that you constantly obsess over? (Am I reading into it too much? Probably) We absolutely recommend listening to this song with headphones as speakers tend to dull the clarity of the bass/beat. This is the level of quality that I have been looking for from Chasing Abbey from the get go. Do I have high expectations? Yes but only because I know they are capable of living up to my high (and very exacting) expectations. Congratulations! However, with that achievement unlocked, my attention now turns to future releases and song choices. This song is the production benchmark that future singles have to live up to and/or surpass in order to prove that the success with this production wasn’t due to luck or chance. The goal now is repeated consistency gentlemen. Good luck.

What I find most unusual about the lyrics is the juxtaposition between the certainty of the chorus and the hesitancy of the first verse which progresses to a cool, more level headed confidence in the latter stages of the track. The lyrics of the verses evoke a sort of nervous energy to begin with. We’re left asking whether the subject of the song makes the writer nervous or if the writer and the subject know each other well enough for a possible relationship to work. There is no question about the feeling of the song but it all hinges on the decision made by the subject of the song which is where this nervous energy seems to stem from. The chorus exudes so much confidence and is so catchy that you tend to gloss over the nervousness of the verses. One particular lyric that catches my attention on each listen is “I come alive, come alive, just cut all my ties.” It implies that before now there were things holding someone back but now, rather than allowing the thoughts to repeatedly circle in their head (much like the chorus repeats itself in a catchy cycle), they’ve finally decided to act. The song may be a statement of intent but not one of complete confidence just yet. However, the confidence grows as the song progresses. There are fewer questioning statements and more affirmations until the song ends with ‘we can take it back to mine.’ The choice presented in the song is far from finalised but there is a confidence in the lyrics that implies that it may be only a matter of time until the decision is made. The imagery of “I’m here for life, it’s my drug, it’s my fix and buzz” I really like this imagery in the lyrics. The song can be seen as almost obsessive in three of those four statements but it clearly shows how much they need this person in their life. Much like the Avengers, it’s end game.

‘Call Out My Name’ is out now and available on all good streaming services or you can listen to it using the links below. Before we wrap up, it has to be noted that Niamh can’t listen to ‘Call Out My Name’ without visualising the knee bop (it’s a little dance move done during live performances by Ro every time the beat drops in the song). We’re 99% convinced that she is traumatised but in a good way (if there is such a thing). With that being said, you can absolutely follow Chasing Abbey on Twitter and Instagram and check out ‘Call Out My Name’ now!