Formed in college in what they call “forgotten and misunderstood towns,” Chasing Dolls built their foundation on friendship, small-town frustration, and late-night parties in the middle of nowhere. “Growing up in a small town, you search a lot harder for people who are into the same things you are – especially when it’s alternative music,” they say. That search turned into something lasting. The band members have been friends for over a decade, growing up together and developing what they describe as “complete trust when jamming together.”
That chemistry shaped their debut single “Cobweb,” recorded at Steel City Studios, a space that has hosted artists like Bring Me The Horizon and Pierce The Veil. The track was released on September 26 and marks their first full single ahead of a debut EP.
“Cobweb is about the motivation to create a mindset that allows you to feel uplifted when understanding yourself in different situations,” the band explains. The song’s title becomes a metaphor for the mind — “the web is your mindset. All the patterns and their intricacy are the things you see, with your mind as the spider building a safe space to catch and harvest your thoughts.” It’s a meditation on balance: “It was written as a reminder that it’s easier to believe in others if you believe in yourself.”
Musically, “Cobweb” moves between introspection and something more chaotic, but still wel controlled, blending emo, mathy twinkling, post hardcore and alt rock inspirations — “the pretty, thought-provoking guitar riff with the twinkle of the scene of a cobweb on that misty morning,” as they describe it, gives way to “heavy, chaotic but carrying-you-through-it-all drums, the conquering yet comforting bass, and fuzzy bouncy guitar rhythm.” The off-guard guitar riff keeps it from settling into predictability, mirroring “the motivation and relation of a mind trying to set.”
That blend of control and collapse is part of Chasing Dolls’ character. Their sound evolved through what they describe as a series of “chaotic times.” When guitarist Hayden lost a finger, the band stayed close and experimented with whatever they had. “We put his guitar pedals on an old Casio keyboard and Hayden jammed in a sling with Theo and Will holding the song.” They brought in Munch — “an insane guitarist from the local music and skate scene” — to fill in. “He learned the set in a week for an upcoming gig we didn’t want to cancel,” they recall. His math-rock-inspired playing helped form what the band now calls their “emo rock n roll sound.”
For them, of course, playing is a form of communication. “We really let out how we’re feeling when we’re jamming,” they say. “We’ll know how each other’s day has been from what’s coming out the jam.” That trust shows in their live performances, where Hayden now channels his energy into movement and raw expression: “It’s really cathartic.”
Thematically, Chasing Dolls use their songs to process youth, frustration, and a search for belonging. “There’s a lot of longing and desperation in our music,” they admit. Coming from towns where “it was pretty abnormal if you didn’t go to university or stay stuck working there for your lifetime,” the band saw music as a way out — “a vessel” to escape the “uni/office job apprentice conveyor belt.” They wanted to carve out a space of their own, “a community of like-minded people.”
Their lyrics reflect that tension. “We have a dynamic sound to reflect the ups and downs of the feelings from experiences we’ve had as youngsters trying to show off our community in these uncertain and unsettling times,” they explain. Much of their writing draws on the idea of “romanticising revolution” — not in the political sense, but as “a way to understand ourselves, the world, and how to live together.”
“Romance is a universal example of how we are able to get along and understand one another,” they add. That sentiment runs through “Cobweb,” where empathy and self-understanding sit at the core.
After several pop-up, shutdown, and sold-out gigs, the band has gathered grassroots recognition through UK and US radio play (Total Rock, Amazing Radio), coverage from Babystep Magazine, and spots on indie and alternative rock playlists. They’re now heading into their first full UK tour across late October and November, with northern dates to follow early next year.
As they put it: “We can’t sit still because the thoughts will get too loud.”
