Chris Garneau Shares “Millions” Single, ‘Out of Love’ EP due December 8th
Today, storied New York singer-songwriter Chris Garneau is sharing the second single off of his Out of Love EP, titled Millions.
“Millions” finds Garneau expanding ever-outwards, with a story told from the vantage of a world-weary celebrity trading a life of vulgar stardom for the calm clarity of the divine. The track finds Garneau sharing production duties with Dan Marcellus, who also contributed percussion and mixing to the track. Strummed harp and plucked koto present an atmosphere reminiscent of a sultry late summer evening before opening up to the transcendent—as Garneau’s protagonist finds his way, he is accompanied by lavish backing vocals, rhythmic drums, resonating shells, fiddle, and the rich bass of Tim Lappin.
This new EP is made up of four songs, each one is a character-driven story about being transformed in some way by love. This is Garneau’s first collaboration with his boyfriend, Marc Briz, a lyricist and fiction writer. Garneau & Briz’s queer archetypal narratives veer towards the Americana: the lovesick cowboy, the celebrity actor who pines for the spiritual, the addict who leaves this earth with love for the life he lived.
All songs are produced by Garneau alongside Patrick Higgins (Zs, eponymous solo project, Nicolas Jaar), co-produced and mixed by Dan Marcellus (Lo-Fang, Happy Hollows), and mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty (Lana del Rey, Taylor Swift, Rufus Wainwright). With additional bass from Cat Popper (Ryan Adams, Norah Jones), Tim Lappin (Chet Faker, Vlad Holiday); guitar from Kirk Schoenherr (Tegan & Sarah, Elle King), string arrangements from Emily Booher (Fiona Apple, Sofia Campos), this work is a major departure for Garneau.
Today’s single was preceded by the release of “Out of Love” the lead single and title track of his forthcoming EP. The Out of Love EP will be released on December 8th via The Orchard and Rough Trade Publishing.
Featured Interview:
What do the holidays mean to you
I hang up lights on the Jade plant. I play Christmas oldies too much. I make Manhattans. I love my friends and family and cry a lot just like everyone else.
What is it like to collab with someone you love
It’s really fucking cool. Brings us closer on a very deep level. We are writing songs together: a craft I rarely share with other people before the work is done. Now, to be in it with my partner from step one, it brings incredible meaning and depth to our relationship and to the work. We aren’t just sharing a home and food, but we are sharing things that will exist after we’re gone. Nothing is comparable to this. It’s an unexpected dream.
What is the inspiration behind this song
The songs from this EP are character-driven narratives. For “Millions”, Marc had a vision of a lyric that was sourced from existential angst he experienced during the pandemic. It grew into this idea of giving up on a particular path you’re on for something bigger — bigger than yourself and the usual expectations. The song is now about reaching for the divine, leaving behind the display and the fussed-over image you want other people to see of you. It’s a humbling experience that I think we all go through at one point or another, on so many different levels. This is the high-tier version of that process.
What does the new America look like to you
Dance, and dirt forward
Spiritual over Religion
People taking care of each other for real
Trade over Cash
Art over Business
Health over Profit
Guidance and Support over Punishment and Guilt
When did you learn to play piano
I started to learn at five years old. I never got too good, but just good enough.
I had the most wonderful piano teacher as a child living in France. Her name was Louise. Our lessons were supposed to be 45 minutes, but always exceeded two hours. She cared for me. Not just for how I played the piano. But how I sat at the piano. How I respected myself as well as the instrument.
What is your process for writing music?
I always need a lyric to start, even if it’s just one line. After that it’s inconsistent. Sometimes, I write a whole song with only one line of words. But other times I write verse by verse, chorus by chorus, and create a bridge when I’m feeling jolted by the right vibe. I wish it was more direct for me. Lately though, with Marc, it’s been different because he hands me a nearly finished lyric and I am blessed with the experience of creating a score to this polished blueprint I have in front of me. It’s like he gives me the maps, and I just need to find myself in the legend.
Who are your musical heroes
Nina Simone
Arthur Russell
Elliott Smith
Joni Mitchell
Frank Ocean
Jeff Buckley
Lou Reed
Billie Holiday
Fiona Apple
Tori Amos
Nico
What music were you listening to while you recorded the new record?
Emmy Lou Harris, Paul Simon, Marlon Williams, Art Feynman, Bob Dylan, Buzzy Lee, Iron & Wine
What makes a good pop star
Someone who is uncertain, and awkward but then comes into themselves. The unlikely pop star rather than the obvious one. It might be that most of them are that way. I think of Ian Curtis, Sinead O’Connor, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie…The ones who didn’t compromise their values or their absolute weirdness for their art: those are the ones who make good pop stars to me. Billie Eilish too.
What is next for you
I’m going to make a full-length album with my boyfriend because I think we are doing really good work to be honest. It’ll come out next year. Maybe I’ll tour the project again too.
Tell us about this single and how it compare to others
Since this single is one of four character-based songs on the EP, it differs from others in the sense that almost everything else I’ve ever written has been hyper-confessional, even when shrouded in mystery. This song also follows a more classic pop structure, though it offers an uplifting resolution to the question many of of us ask ourselves: who am I without _____? I think it answers the question of what to do with your life, without literally answering it for you. And that’s what I find really special about music—it charters a lot of unknown territory and yet still leaves room for expansion and autonomy.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris.garneau
Website: https://www.chrisgarneau.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6N6oxcjNigJQq0RWeC49Rg
