Biography
Chris Staples, also recognized for his roles in Twothirtyeight, Discover America, and Telekinesis, has shifted across gritty indie rock, upbeat singer/songwriter pop, and warm reflective folk-rock in his individual output. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist combined introspective lyrics with moody melodies through a scrappy approach rooted in punk and garage rock on his first solo release, the 2004 album Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes, yet a decade later American Soft offered a more understated and precisely shaped take on indie folk. Golden Age in 2016 expanded the restrained tone of American Soft with extra sheen and pop touches in the writing and production, a method carried forward on reflective, personal albums such as Holy Moly in 2019 and Cloud Souvenirs in 2023.
Staples helped launch the Florida alt rock and Christian punk band Twothirtyeight in 1995, taking the position of lead singer and guitarist. The group issued several EPs before their bassist Kevin Glass died in a car accident in 1997. After recovering from that loss, Staples joined Owen Grabo, DJ Stone, and Kevin Woerner to sign with Takehold Records, which put out the full-length debut Missing You Dearly in 1999 and dedicated the album to Glass. Frequent membership adjustments followed, along with the 2000 EP Matter Has a Breaking Point issued without Grabo and the LP Regulate the Chemicals recorded with Jake Brown on bass. Their last album, You Should Be Living, appeared in 2002 without Stone or Brown, after which the remaining members chose to disband in 2003.
The next year Staples issued a solo album on Makebreak that gathered earlier self-released material plus two new tracks under the title Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes. He then moved to Seattle, Washington and formed the more singer/songwriter-oriented indie rock project Discover America. Functioning largely as a solo endeavor, he tracked its debut album Psychology in his home studio for release on Tooth & Nail Records in 2005, with a self-titled EP following in 2007. The second LP Future Paths came out in 2010 on Lujo Records. That same year he released another Chris Staples album, Badlands, inspired by the Terrence Malick film of the same name.
Around the same time the musician joined Michael Lerner’s band Telekinesis as guitarist, appearing on the albums Telekinesis! and 12 Desperate Straight Lines released in 2009 and 2011 respectively before he exited the group. Twothirtyeight reunited briefly in 2012 for a set at the Deluna Festival in Florida. Working alone again, Staples completed another solo album. Moving further into indie singer/songwriter territory, the intimate American Soft arrived on Barsuk in 2014. He followed it with Golden Days in 2016, a reference to advancing beyond an idealized past, while Barsuk also issued Holy Moly in 2019, which was assembled piecemeal over a year in Staples’ garage and added a few more pop accents, including a rhythmic groove on the title track, to the indie folk surfaces of Golden Days.
After leaving Barsuk and building direct connections with listeners through social media and a subscriber-based Patreon, Staples recorded his next album with producer, engineer, and mixer Jeremy S.H. Griffith. Continuing the stylistic direction of its predecessor, the thoughtful Cloud Souvenirs appeared on Hot Tub Recordings in May 2023.
Staples helped launch the Florida alt rock and Christian punk band Twothirtyeight in 1995, taking the position of lead singer and guitarist. The group issued several EPs before their bassist Kevin Glass died in a car accident in 1997. After recovering from that loss, Staples joined Owen Grabo, DJ Stone, and Kevin Woerner to sign with Takehold Records, which put out the full-length debut Missing You Dearly in 1999 and dedicated the album to Glass. Frequent membership adjustments followed, along with the 2000 EP Matter Has a Breaking Point issued without Grabo and the LP Regulate the Chemicals recorded with Jake Brown on bass. Their last album, You Should Be Living, appeared in 2002 without Stone or Brown, after which the remaining members chose to disband in 2003.
The next year Staples issued a solo album on Makebreak that gathered earlier self-released material plus two new tracks under the title Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes. He then moved to Seattle, Washington and formed the more singer/songwriter-oriented indie rock project Discover America. Functioning largely as a solo endeavor, he tracked its debut album Psychology in his home studio for release on Tooth & Nail Records in 2005, with a self-titled EP following in 2007. The second LP Future Paths came out in 2010 on Lujo Records. That same year he released another Chris Staples album, Badlands, inspired by the Terrence Malick film of the same name.
Around the same time the musician joined Michael Lerner’s band Telekinesis as guitarist, appearing on the albums Telekinesis! and 12 Desperate Straight Lines released in 2009 and 2011 respectively before he exited the group. Twothirtyeight reunited briefly in 2012 for a set at the Deluna Festival in Florida. Working alone again, Staples completed another solo album. Moving further into indie singer/songwriter territory, the intimate American Soft arrived on Barsuk in 2014. He followed it with Golden Days in 2016, a reference to advancing beyond an idealized past, while Barsuk also issued Holy Moly in 2019, which was assembled piecemeal over a year in Staples’ garage and added a few more pop accents, including a rhythmic groove on the title track, to the indie folk surfaces of Golden Days.
After leaving Barsuk and building direct connections with listeners through social media and a subscriber-based Patreon, Staples recorded his next album with producer, engineer, and mixer Jeremy S.H. Griffith. Continuing the stylistic direction of its predecessor, the thoughtful Cloud Souvenirs appeared on Hot Tub Recordings in May 2023.
Albums
Singles
