CFM

Charles Moothart records under the solo name CFM as a San Francisco garage rock musician whose extensive history with Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin includes stints in Epsilons, Fuzz, and Charlie & the Moonhearts. CFM centers on buzzy rock & roll that incorporates psychedelic touches, a pronounced blues strain, and a consistently dark, moody character. The first CFM album, 2016's Still Life of Citrus & Slime, functioned as a somber examination of a dissolved romance, while the project expanded into broader thematic territory on the 2019 release Soundtrack to an Empty Room.

Moothart's credits within contemporary garage punk encompass guitar duties in the Ty Segall Band, the drum position in Segall's later touring unit the Freedom Band, and guitar plus vocals in Fuzz, Segall's tribute to his hard rock influences. Further collaborations include GØGGS with Segall and Ex-Cult's Chris Shaw, membership in the Moonhearts alongside Mikal Cronin of Thee Oh Sees, and supporting roles on the albums Mikal Cronin and MCII.

After ending a long-term relationship, Moothart launched the CFM project by withdrawing to his home studio and composing alone, which produced the April 2016 In the Red album Still Life of Citrus & Slime. Although that record was created solo, he assembled a road lineup with guitarist Michael Anderson, bassist Tyler Frome, and drummer Thomas Alvarez of Audacity. Dichotomy Desaturated arrived the following year and included the single "Rise and Fall." The third CFM LP, 2019's Soundtrack to an Empty Room, featured heavier guitar emphasis and reinforced the hard rock undercurrent.