Biography
Michigan native Stef Chura crafts wistful yet visceral songs drawn from personal experience. Her sound blends the raw edge of ’90s alternative and indie rock with the melodic introspection of ’60s and ’70s folk-rock, anchored by a signature fingerpicked guitar approach and a distinctive twang in her vocals. The 2017 release Messes marked her first solo recording and earned strong critical notice.
After relocating from northern Michigan to Ypsilanti in 2009, Chura launched a solo career with live performances and self-released demo tapes that soon established her as a regular presence in the area’s music community. In 2010 she formed a band alongside Amber Fellows and Shelley Salant, both of whom later joined Rebel Kind, and the group issued a cassette the following year. Her 2012 move to Detroit led to bass duties in several local outfits as well as additional cassette releases under her own name. A 2014 encounter with drummer Ryan Clancy, known for Jamaican Queens and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., sparked an ongoing musical partnership. Together with engineer Fred Thomas, who also contributed instrumental performances, they tracked Chura’s debut studio album Messes in 2015. Three selections from those sessions surfaced on a split EP with Anna Burch of Frontier Ruckus and Failed Flowers, issued by Palm Tapes in 2016; Urinal Cake Records then released the full Messes early the next year.
While those activities unfolded, Chura had already begun shaping her next project in collaboration with Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo. He first produced and performed on the 2018 Record Store Day single “Degrees/Sour Honey,” which paired two tracks originally cut from the Messes sessions. Reuniting with Clancy on drums, Toledo then produced and added instrumental contributions to the album Midnight, which Saddle Creek issued in the middle of 2019.
After relocating from northern Michigan to Ypsilanti in 2009, Chura launched a solo career with live performances and self-released demo tapes that soon established her as a regular presence in the area’s music community. In 2010 she formed a band alongside Amber Fellows and Shelley Salant, both of whom later joined Rebel Kind, and the group issued a cassette the following year. Her 2012 move to Detroit led to bass duties in several local outfits as well as additional cassette releases under her own name. A 2014 encounter with drummer Ryan Clancy, known for Jamaican Queens and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., sparked an ongoing musical partnership. Together with engineer Fred Thomas, who also contributed instrumental performances, they tracked Chura’s debut studio album Messes in 2015. Three selections from those sessions surfaced on a split EP with Anna Burch of Frontier Ruckus and Failed Flowers, issued by Palm Tapes in 2016; Urinal Cake Records then released the full Messes early the next year.
While those activities unfolded, Chura had already begun shaping her next project in collaboration with Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo. He first produced and performed on the 2018 Record Store Day single “Degrees/Sour Honey,” which paired two tracks originally cut from the Messes sessions. Reuniting with Clancy on drums, Toledo then produced and added instrumental contributions to the album Midnight, which Saddle Creek issued in the middle of 2019.
Albums
Singles
