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CHRIS FARREN shares new single ‘First Place’ ft Jeff Rosenstock
Beloved and prolific songwriter Chris Farren recently announced his new Jay Som-produced album, Doom Singer, to early praise from the likes of NPR Music, Vulture, Billboard, Stereogum, Paste and more. Today, following lead single ‘Cosmic Leash’ and ‘Bluish,’ Farren shares another taste of the record with ‘First Place.’ The song rules, but that wasn’t always the case. Take Chris’ word for it: “‘First Place’ used to be very different and I hated it, but Melina (Jay Som) said it was too good to not put on the record, so I figured out everything I hated about it (the old lyrics, mostly) and we changed it to the beautiful single you hear today. My friend Jeff Rosenstock plays saxophone on it.”
The song is accompanied by an amazing video directed by comedian, actress and writer Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth). Jouhari said, “Chris went full method. It was really scary at first but ultimately so inspiring to see him dive so deep into his character (a singer named Chris Farren).”
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Watch the video for ‘First Place’ below.
Farren made his name recording with Jeff Rosenstock in Antarctigo Vespucci and now-defunct Floridian punk band Fake Problems, but all work under his own name has been created by Farren in self-described “miserable” isolation…until now. Doom Singer was produced, engineered and mixed by multi-instrumentalist/producer, and Jay Som mastermind Melina Duterte (who also performs on the record) in her Atwater Village studio. It was also written entirely with live drummer Frankie Impastato, and features Rosenstock on the occasional bass and saxophone. “Looking back on those records… I have no good memories of making them,” Farren says of his previous solo output. “It’s always been a lonely, doubt-ridden process.” This new, collaborative method breathes new life into Farren’s songs, which are huge, cathartic, catchy as hell, and inspired by what Farren describes as the “sixties-tinged girl group vibe.” And the result is as genuine, empathetic, and of course, funny, as Farren is, and though he claims nihilistic tendencies, it’s the dogged optimism that shines through.
Chris Farren UK Tour Dates 2023
Aug 29 – Exchange, Bristol, UK
Aug 30 – Yes Pink Room, Manchester, UK
Aug 31 – Hug & Pint, Glasgow, UK
Sep 01 – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, UK
Sep 02 – The Lexington, London, UK
Sep 03 – Le Pub, Newport, UK
Sep 04 – Port Mahon, Oxford, UK
Sep 05 – Hope & Ruin, Brighton, UK