Chicago rockers Case make wispy, folky, heart-on-sleeve songs well-suited for coffeehouses and 2000s indie bands. Their style isn’t exactly en vogue, but the five-piece are skilled enough to draw on disparate sounds that could appeal to listeners who typically find indie rock stuffy. On “So Much It Could Be; So Little Is,” off the 2018 EP Questions of Space, front man Cale Zepernick sings in a soft falsetto (he sounds a little like Mike Milosh of Rhye) that underlines the sumptuous R&B vibe of the shimmying acoustic guitars. Case’s versatility has helped them cross over into other scenes; they’ve gotten gigs playing with hip-hop band Manwolves and buzzy rapper Ric Wilson, who also recruited Case cofounder Seamus Masterson to play violin on his 2018 EP, BANBA. On Case’s self-released debut album, June’s A Place We Belong, they can sound timid on the straightforward and somber cuts—but colorful flourishes such as the horn-heavy climaxes in “Take It Away” sound like the makings of a promising career. v
Chicago band Case find the makings of a bright indie-rock career
