New Jersey-based collective CR and The Nones presents ‘The Long Game’, the first single from ‘The Ghosts Are Coming Home’, the band’s second album and the first to be released via the Magic Door Record Label.
‘The Ghosts Are Coming Home’ is a culmination of the sound and aesthetic that guitarist and songwriter Chris Gennone (CR to his friends) has been building over many years and multiple bands. With an expansiveness and introspection that recalls The War on Drugs or early My Morning Jacket, the ten tracks here showcase an irresistible sincerity and heartfelt delivery.
Self-produced by Gennone, this album was mixed by renowned producer Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Versus, Elk City, Gramercy Arms) at Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, NJ and mastered by Nick Bolton at Bolton Sound in Jersey City.
CR Gennone came of age playing in a variety of different projects in suburban New Jersey, including his former band, CR and The Degenerates, who released five albums from 2016 to 2018. This new project has allowed him to expand the unique hybrid of folk, country, punk, and heartland rock. CR and The Nones retains the Degenerates’ core of Chris Gennone, lead/slide guitarist Jim Abbott, and bassist John Dewitt.
‘I wrote the lyrics for this song in the midst of a break up in the middle of Covid lockdowns and just after losing my job, so everything seemed pretty bleak. I felt defeated and was just kind of searching for something I could hold onto. My ex and I were driving down the turnpike and I was in the passenger seat watching the planes take off and all of the words came to me at once. I wrote the melody and chords pretty soon after,” says CR Gennone.
“I did a lot of work on this song, first recording the drums with my friend Josh Bartsch from Pynkie and doing all of the vocals, harmonies, guitars and synths at my apartment. The original version was mixed by Jeff Zeigler in Philly, but I decided to scrap it and re-track everything with Tom Barrett on drums at Skylar’s studio in Wayne. Andrew recorded Jim’s guitar parts at his apartment and then I tracked everything else at my place.”
Recalling past Garden State guitar music, Gennone’s soulful vocals and his band’s driving hooks invoke roads, journeys, and forward motion in general. Counting Neil Young and Jason Molina among major influences, his sound has always been propulsive. In 2020, CR and The Nones released their debut album ‘Living In Fear’ via Favorite Friend Records.
Like many artists, the pandemic and resulant huge chunks of unfilled time allowed Gennone to be more considered, thoughtful, and purposive in his songwriting for this album. Being forced out of his normal songwriting process and comfort zone opened Gennone to new influences, and his resulting growth as a songwriter is evident. While friends from the NYC and NJ music scenes contributed ideas and sounds, some influences are not as obvious. Gennone recalls listening to Brian Eno non-stop while recording ‘Ghosts’, and the synth sounds and ambient textures that underpin much of the album are certainly a testament to that.
‘The Long Game’ is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. ‘The Ghosts Are Coming Home’ album will be released on September 8 and is now available for pre-order.
