CHAFT is the solo venture of Derek Miller, a multi-instrumentalist from Boston, Massachusetts. Derek personally handles all aspects of CHAFT’s music, with each piece being recorded and mixed in his compact home studio, mostly set up in a small closet. In the latest EP release, 95, the entirety of the album was recorded in the span between a life-changing medical diagnosis and the surgery that followed. With raw anxiety and urgency, the album explores themes of mortality, panic, and appreciation for loved ones, capturing a moment in time with both intensity and reflection.
Miller always approaches his songs with the warmth of familiarity by vulnerably penning bouncy, heartfelt pop anthems. With the context of his world beginning to spiral, “Inside” softens the blows of harsh realities with brutal honesty delivered via bright, infectious melodies. Miller’s latest single is a jangly exploration of his ability to spin reality into ethereal pop bliss. The loose acoustic riffs that welcome us to “Inside” slowly transition into dense distortion, evoking the feel of what it must be like to receive life-altering news on a perfectly pleasant day. While the arrangement increases intensity, Miller’s vocals keep the listener grounded. There is something almost haunting about how the artist’s jovial vocals explore such dark and personal truths, nearly as if Miller attempts to soothe the listener and himself in one melodic swoop. Miller uses CHAFT as a diary, and “Inside” is a profoundly personal chapter the artist lets us all in on.
“After originally planning on releasing a different type of LP record this year, with some unfortunate and unexpected news around my health, I used the writing for this EP as an outlet of frustration, uncertainty, and anxiety. The motivation was to musically and lyrically capture a personal moment in time for myself and my listeners,” explains Miller. “‘Inside’ largely dives into the initial shock of the health diagnosis, realizing the normal trajectory I thought I was on a day before dramatically changed the day after.”
