Chris Farren Shares Hypnotizing Single “First Place” from Jay Som-Produced LP, Doom Singer

The new single features frequent collaborator Jeff Rosenstock on saxophone and premieres alongside a music video directed by Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth). Doom Singer is set to release August 4, 2023 via Polyvinyl.

Photo credit: Kat Nijmeddin

Beloved emo-tinged songwriter Chris Farren recently announced his new album, Doom Singer, and today we are hearing another taste from the record with a cheeky yet sophisticatedly smooth single “First Place”. The single features Antarctigo Vespucci bandmate and friend Jeff Rosenstock on saxophone and accompanies a music video that showcases Farren’s best dance moves, directed by comedian, actress and writer on Big Mouth Mitra Jouhar.

“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)”, Mitra shares.

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. Never shying away from the relatability of self-doubt and pessimism, Farren reflects on his previous solo output, “Looking back on those records… I have no good memories of making them, 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.

Watch Farren fall in love in his newest music video below.