With a perfect blend between rock, punk and pop, Dallas-based indie band Chancy has been hitting all the right notes since 2017. With their latest single ‘Draw It’ released on January 6, the group has proven itself a true local band with relatable lyrics, playful band members and an appeal for dorky, good-hearted UTD students.
The group consists of five members: guitar player and singer Richard Milton — who moved from California to join the band — as well as drummer Jonathan Masters straight from Craigslist, synth player and percussionist Cole Scott, guitar player and lead singer Austin Franks and guitar player and singer Alex Tuft. The group cherishes playing in locally known spots like the Factory and the House of Blues and proclaims itself to be the “the most local band in the world.”
“It really means that local bands are everywhere,” Tuft said. “We are the idea of a local band itself, sitting across America, so if you support us, you’re supporting local brands everywhere. You’re supporting America.”
Chancy – originally named Lovely and later rebranded to stand out among other bands — is an amalgamation of different music styles influenced by each of the members’ tastes. The bands’ inspirations range from Japanese songs and video game soundtracks to the hardcore sounds of rock and punk. With the range of nerd culture on campus, students are bound to enjoy the band’s inspiration from popular media.
“Chancy is, I believe, an adjective for the word unpredictable,” Tuft said. “We can be kind of sporadic sometimes. Each song is almost different from the other ones. We don’t really like to stick to a specific genre because we all come from different musical backgrounds, so we like to change it up so everyone gets to have fun.”
With two EPs and five singles in their repertoire, the group released their latest single “Draw It” on Jan. 6. Tuft said he wrote the lyrics based on a scene from the video game “Animal Crossing,” which later developed into a song about authenticity.
“I was going through some stuff, and I was kind of just having a mind dump of what was going on in my life,” Tuft said. “I think the overall theme was my trouble with some of my close friends and authenticity and kind of watching people make the same mistakes over and over again and the frustration of that.”
Lyrically, the song does not repeat any phrases — unlike most mainstream tunes — but is still listenable with its emphasis on syllables and rhythm. Sonically, on the other hand, Franks said the song alludes to new wave music, early dance music and the punk rock era, celebrating fast paced songs with edgy melodies.
“We jump around a lot dynamically,” Milton said, “and it’s hard to just give one summarizing word to really capture it all … And then it jumps into a psychedelic bridge and then kind of a groovy chorus. It’s kind of a brief risk, a journey song … in terms of the music.”
Like any band, Chancy’s journey has not been linear. The members have to find time outside their regular jobs to work on music and their live performances. However, the support the members receive from family, friends and fans keeps them going.
“Our friends are very supportive,” Tuft said. “A friend of ours, Andrew Sherman, does great photography, and he was like ‘I want to do a video for free for you guys,’ and we just took the opportunity [and filmed the music video for ‘Draw It.’] A lot of our fan base showed up to our shows five years later and they brought other people …”
The members said they plan on releasing and recording more songs and performing more this year. On Feb. 9, the band opens for Mom Rock at Club DaDa. In the meantime, you can follow them on Instagram and listen to ‘Draw It.’