Chrome Chasm :: Interpreter
Artwork: Chris Cascio
I suppose it depends on how many armadillo and turtle shells- the Lone Star State has exactly thirty species- you can stack on top of one another to achieve the appropriate height when seeking a true perspective on the liberating landscape of Texas’ electrifying ecosystem and its harmonious history. Of course, the Outlaw Country movement should come to mind, which featured an array of cosmic characters such as Blaze Foley, as well as the Midwest punk scene that brought captivating creatures like Scratch Acid to the sun-drenched surface; it’s the prolific psychedelia of the 1960s and 1970s that lands us here today, some sixty years later, to talk about the latest effort from local legend Tom Carter and his transcendental trio, Chrome Chasm. A spellbinding situation that carefully combines the ecstatic elements of the paisley past and the mind-altering meditations of our current times, and that revolutionary reflection in our memory’s mirror, shattered by the ongoing pursuit of artistic freedom. Since forming in 2024, members including Mlee Marie (Hearts Of Animals), Will Adams (Lower Dens/Ka-Nives), and Tom Carter (Charalambides) have wasted no time casting those sonic spells under the melodic moon on a southwestern night. While some harmonies are pure hallucinations brought on by audio alchemy weathered by crossed wires of some pollinated pollution, Chrome Chasm produces a melodic mist that separates the volumes from the vapors in an effortless echo of early-to-mid-2000s freakout fever. The trio released two cassettes in 2025, but their debut LP on Silver Current Records, “Interpreter,” is an atmospheric affair that sincerely splinters the visual valleys of our listening experience like a dormant thunderstorm patiently awaiting its moment. Featuring four long listening tracks, the album takes listeners through textile hallways of a dilapidated dystopian temple where vibrant vegetation has overtaken the shape and size of the group’s poetic practice space.
Photo: Roger McChargue
Out the wiry windows, you can see prehistoric insects and weird winged creatures circling the psychedelic property in some repetitive ritual as the trio signals for sonic solace in an otherwise culturally corrupt climate. While the structure’s brick and metaphysical mortar shake from the visceral vibrations of Chrome Chasm’s performance within the well-insulated walls, a lysergic leek creeps out from beneath the cracked conduit that leads outside to the never-ending nature. Set for release on the beloved Oakland, California-based label Silver Current Records at the end of October, a perfect time of the year for unapologetic space jazz, Chrome Chasm has planted their radical roots deep into the spiritual soil of America’s stolen land.
