NYC indie rock outfit Crash Harmony presents ‘Orange Background’, a welcome earworm and a great way to start your week. The first taste of the band’s debut record ‘No One Asked For This’, the latest in a solid series of releases brought to realization via the Montclair, NJ-based Magic Door Record Label and the Magic Door Recording studio.
Appearing just a month since the release of the lead track ‘Velour Goddess’. this new single is a refreshing blast of youthful energy, reminiscent of the vibrant world of late-1980s alternative music. With its garage-rock influence and catchy hooks, it’s a nostalgic journey that will transport listeners back in time.
Made up of Dave Derby (vocals, guitars), Mike Potenza (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Jon Nighswander (bass, vocals), and Nils Nadeau (drums, percussion, vocals), Crash Harmony’s history is intricately entwined with the essence of American “college rock”. Formed in 1986 at Yale University in New Haven, CT, the band played its last gig in May 1988 and hadn’t played together again until beginning to record this album in 2022.
“This is one of our earliest songs. I always thought it had a kind of feeling that is reminiscent and wistful; we tried to evoke that feeling with ebow guitar parts,” says Mike Potenza.
Nils Nadeau elaborates, “‘Orange Background’ is a letter from our college selves to our grown selves and also, in a way, from Generation X to what we have now in the world. It’s also the only one, played back, that might have made me wet-eyed for a minute”.
Slated for release via Magic Door Record Label after a 30+ year hiatus, the quartet are back with ‘No One Asked For This’ – a full-length album of 10 songs, for which they worked with celebrated producer Ray Ketchem(Guided by Voices, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Luna) at Magic Door Recording in Montclair, NJ.
Yale rock – an oxymoron too good to be dismissed, meeting as undergraduates swept up in the current of something more exciting than college – a New Haven music scene that was real. While college was for figuring out what you wanted to be, college rock was for figuring out what you wanted to sound like. Crash Harmony was absorbing everything, and trying it all on for size at house parties, frat houses, and clubs throughout New England.
Dave Derby went on to The Dambuilders and Gramercy Arms, while Mike Potenza joined The Anderson Council, Jon left for Europe, and Nils wandered north. But no matter where they went, Crash Harmony still kind of mattered. Eventually, they had to come back. They had to return to that place so, decades later, Crash Harmony reformed to make a new record of old songs – a rock-and-roll reenactment of the New Haven scene that changed them forever.
As of September 17, ‘Orange Background’ will be available exclusively via Bandcamp and officially released everywhere else, including Apple Musicand Spotify on September 24. The full album ‘No One Asked for This’ (out October 18 on vinyl or digitally) can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Dave Derby – vocals, guitars
Mike Potenza – guitars, keyboards, vocals
Jon Nighswander – bass, vocals
Nils Nadeau – drums, percussion, vocals
Guests:
Mike Schreiber – organ
Peter Hess – saxophone
Ray Ketchem – percussion
Produced by Ray Ketchem and Crash Harmony
Recorded by Ray Ketchem at Magic Door Studios in Montclair, NJ
and Dave Derby at Missile Shells Sound Studios in NYC
Mixed & mastered by Ray Ketchem
All songs written by Crash Harmony
except ‘Dancing With Joan’ written by Dave Derby and Eric Masunaga
All songs ASCAP / BMI
Artist photos and single cover artwork by Jon Drake
Released by Magic Door Record Label
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Video directed & filmed by Dan Karlok at Magic Door Recording
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