The Third Eye

Why do indie artists keep making music today in a world and industry that seems against them? I can ask myself that same question: Why do I keep running this blog and spending all the hours I do on it, even though there’s no monetary payoff? Why not put my time to good use? Why not learn to invest in real estate, for example, and adopt the “time is money” mindset?

These are the questions that Pittsburgh-based neo-psychedelic artist Chameleon Treat tackles in his new album, Serious Leisure Pursuit, which was released on November 3rd via Reptilian Snack Records. The questions he wrestles with on the album are especially relevant today in light of the Bandcamp layoffs and all the other various ways underground musicians try to reconcile making meaningful art in a world that so often feels hostile to it.

The band is currently a solo project of Andrew Kruske, an artist interested in neo-psychedelia and offbeat pop. Musically, Chameleon Treat finds inspiration in komische, minimalism, modular synthesis, and various strains of modern psych. He also loves finding ways to reconcile musical binaries and paradoxes like hi-fi and lo-fi, pop and experimental, and familiarity and newness.

Some musical highlights of recent years for Chameleon Treat include opening for bands like Peel Dream Magazine, The Veldt, and Tengger and scoring a few surf videos for professional surfer John John Florence. Serious Leisure Pursuit is his fifth full-length album and the first since 2020’s Winter in Callisto, 1971.

Andrew’s explanation of the new album’s themes is great and should resonate with many indie musicians these days. Here’s part of what he says:

“The record confronts the difficulties that a creative person faces in the current era, from struggling to find a few minutes a day to general suggestions to grow up and move on…the things that make me reconsider my expectations and relationship to my process. In the face of all the potential pressures, external and internal…Why do creative people keep going and keep expressing themselves? In the face of the recent bad news with Spotify, Bandcamp, touring, and the music industry in general, it feels like an incredibly relevant question to confront.”

You can find the rest of his explanation on Bandcamp – and I suggest you read the whole thing. It reads like a creative’s manifesto for 2023. The part that resonated most with me is when he says, “Those without a serious leisure pursuit can have a hard time understanding the pursuer’s motivation. To a business-minded person in a business-minded world, the return on investment looks a lot like failure. So, despite the time, the misunderstanding, and the lack of clear motivation, why do we all keep doing this?”

The question of money always comes up with indie artists, and I feel that, too, with running this blog. Am I wasting my time here? Should I be doing something more productive? If I’m not “monetizing” a hobby like this – like so many of us do nowadays – does that make me foolish?

Many of us in this underground creative community are making art for the sake of art. We’re doing it probably because we don’t know what else to do with ourselves – we feel compelled to do it to express ourselves. Sure, we may try to monetize some aspects because we have to, but that’s not the point, right?

I appreciate that Chameleon Treat tackles these questions in Serious Leisure Pursuit. So, let’s talk about the actual music on the album, too. The record consists of 11 songs that account for more than 48 minutes of listening, starting with “Driting Away.” Like most songs, “Drifting Away” has a relaxing, low-key indie psych vibe as Andrew gently sings over a simple chord sequence. As the title implies, you may be apt to drift away with the sounds.

“How Busy” sees Andrew reconciling lo-fi and hi-fi methods, and one of the things I liked most is the gentle background vocal hum. “(Where Do You) Find The Time” shows Andrew’s lyrical attempt to bring paradox together. He sings, “There’s a world of in-betweens/What I say and what I mean/When I start and when I’m done/What is work and what is fun/What is made and what is found/What is noise and what is sound.”

Andrew’s vocals on many songs are obscured and, at times, not entirely discernible, so I recommend reading the lyrics on Bandcamp while listening. It’s good poetry. “(Where Do You Find) The Time” is also one of the foremost tracks that asks the central question on the record about making indie art in a world hostile to it. Where do we find the time to do all this? Andrew tries to find the answers, and even if he doesn’t solve the problem, he’s at least “living the questions,” so to speak.

The rest of Serious Leisure Pursuit has plenty of highlights, including the psych-electronic sounds of “Interlude,” the synth soundscapes of “Dream Song I,” and the droning bliss of “Emanationism.” I won’t go into each of the 11 tracks but let you, the listener, discover the sonic pleasures for yourself.

Head to Bandcamp to check out Chameleon Treat’s Serious Leisure Pursuit, and if you’re in the Pittsburgh area, you may get to see him live. Follow him on Instagram or other social accounts to find out about live shows, and check out some of his previous releases, too. Enjoy!

Check out Chameleon Treat’s Serious Leisure Pursuit on Bandcamp here.

Support Chameleon Treat by following him on Bandcamp and social media (Instagram, Facebook).

Like what you read? Then consider supporting The Third Eye on Patreon.

Sign up for email updates to The Third Eye below: