5 takeaways from Clinton Cave of Chase Atlantic's Artist Friendly interview
This week saw the release of the second installment in the Artist Friendly podcast’s three-part interview series with the Australian alternative trio Chase Atlantic. Last week, vocalist/guitarist Christian Anthony appeared on the pod, and this week lead guitarist/saxophone player Clinton Cave stopped by for a conversation with host Joel Madden.
On the episode, which is available to stream now wherever you listen to podcasts, Cave spoke about Chase Atlantic’s early days, mental health, staying creative, and more. Before you dive into the full conversation, see below for 5 takeaways from the episode.
He has no regrets where he and Chase Atlantic came from
Fans know the band got their start in other groups before forming Chase Atlantic and that Clinton had his own YouTube channel. On the podcast, they discuss their child star roots. When Madden asks if he has any regrets, Cave gives a firm no and says that he and his brother/bandmate Mitchel can look back on it and laugh from time to time, but ultimately “just had fun doing it in the beginning.” He explains that he can’t imagine doing anything else, and sometimes even reflects on their humble beginnings, saying, “I look back and get a little teary sometimes. It’s kind of sweet.”
He grew up thinking he was going to be a professional swimmer
Before Cave realized how much music meant to him, much of his adolescence was spent training to be a professional swimmer. He explains that he used to get up at 4:50 a.m. to train about 11 times per week for up to three hours. He says he was very focused on being the best he could be and winning as much as he could, but ultimately realized, “Towards the end, I realized there was more that I wanted to do.” Nowadays, he thinks he’s still a strong swimmer — but definitely couldn’t beat fellow Aussie singer/swimmer Cody Simpson, which Madden asks about on the pod.
Cave lives a quiet life
Even though Chase Atlantic has millions of fans, Cave feels it’s essential to step away from the spotlight, rather than be hypnotized by it. In fact, he feels that he lives a “fairly quiet life,” given that he can walk down the street without being recognized (whereas his brother Mitchel’s braids can attract some attention). “It’s the music that speaks for itself. It is nice to have that recognition and that little bit of ego boost because that’s what you’re looking for — some sort of love or attention — [but] it can be very overwhelming,” he explains.
Everyone’s entitled to a breakdown
Chase Atlantic put a ton of artistic pressure on themselves by writing, producing, and mixing their own albums, as well as designing their own stages. Cave, however, admits that he’s “been naive” to acknowledging his own wellbeing and has definitely gone through a couple of mental breakdowns in the past few years, especially when COVID-19 hit. “What I’m very aware of now is how quickly it can turn into a slippery slope. You don’t even realize until you look back at it when you’re back home. You go,’‘Was I that guy?'” he says.
Chase Atlantic has always been committed to making mental health a theme of their music
In the interview, Cave and Madden speak about anxiety, struggling to focus, and turning to creativity to process emotions. They also talk about how mental health is constantly influencing Chase Atlantic’s music — and that even when there is an upbeat vibe to their songs, it’s because it’s meant to be a source of escapism. Cave explains that lately he’s been helping with writing lyrics and realizing that his bandmates have “been writing really deep for so many years now.” He says, “Looking back on it now, I’m like, maybe I should’ve realized that everyone is going through some shit.” But that said, it’s very important to him that those themes come through in the music, and that’s part of the reason why so many fans connect with them.
