Christopher Owens is back with new music

After a (close to) 10-year hiatus of new music, Christopher Owens is back with the recently announced ‘I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair‘ (due in October). Chris was a founding member of Girls, who split in 2012 after releasing their stellar standout album ‘Father, Son and Holy Ghost‘ in 2011. He released a few solo records over the next few years (his first, Lysandre, is my favorite), then sort of receded into the shadows. This 2023 piece by Adrian Spinelli sums up Christopher’s story, and a lot of the struggles he’s been through. On top of that, his Girls band mate and friend JR White passed away in 2020.

After leaving San Francisco last year, it appears (based on his Instagram) that he’s moved to the Washington Heights area in NYC, gotten married, and has clearly rekindled that creative musical spark.

“No Good” is one of the first released singles, and definitely captures the Owens/Girls sound – the blend of sunny & melancholy guitar with Christopher’s vulnerable vocals.

“I Think About Heaven” continues to grow on me. I can’t help but hear “Ventura Highway” in the guitar melody, but after more listens, I’m finding more and more to enjoy – it’s a sweet six minute meandering journey (in a good way).

You can pre-order the album on Bandcamp. Welcome back, Christopher!

Album cover photo by Sandy Kim.