New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, NYC-based chamber pop artist Chris Garneau shares "For Celeste", a haunting and vulnerable single off his upcoming LP The Kind, out January 29th on The Orchard. Under The Radar premiered the track, praising how the "swirls of synths, understated percussion, and touches of guitar fill out the track, but remain subdued, never distracting from Garneau's evocative, heartrending vocals."
"For Celeste" is an ode to the homecoming that is an undercurrent to Chris Garneau's forthcoming album The Kind, which will be out this January via The Orchard. Garneau's deeper voice gestures to his having matured over the course of his life, and he now relieves his younger self from the responsibility of carrying so much weight. It's a song about facing the younger parts of yourself with compassion rather than imagining that you can banish them. This song, like earlier singles Not the Child and Now On, builds a lush world and gestures to Garneau's liberation from shame. In it, Garneau asks if we can integrate all the parts of ourselves we may have tried to cast away.
Childhood tends to be romanticized in so many different ways, and I do understand that for some people childhood can be really carefree and beautiful. But what I think is more important to consider is the
Spirit of a child rather than the experience itself. If we grow up queer or in any system of abuse or trauma, we aren't granted the same freedoms as the others. This song is about getting the time back that you missed. Knowing that this is an impossible feat, however, what this song is really about is expressing yourself as an adult in such a way that you don't feel inhibited or insecure. We often start chipping away at our core as we grow older, and the "inner child" becomes a separate, abstract creature. I am asking what that separation really is and if it even exists at all. When we lose ourselves in those formative years, drugs, alcohol, and other darker forces can be more seductive than ever. A tendency towards that world can also make a person inclined to present in a way that might not be their most whole truth. We are encouraged to please people and fit a binary. I hope this song encourages an embrace of our whole life, a certain patience, and real, practical love for one's self. - Chris Garneau
The Kind is a collection of songs that have been patiently gathered over the last two years. It is truly hand made. It has a specific purpose and Garneau's most clear intention to date. The album was produced by Patrick Higgins.
"With "For Celeste" Garneau has returned with an undeniably lush and soulful ballad and a moving tribute to owning identity and casting off shame." - Under The Radar
"["Not The Child"] is anchored by a plucky harp that swells into an expansive string arrangement of viola, violin, and cello which adds depth to Garneau's guilelessly wistful and liberating lyrics about calling out boundaries."- KEXP
"Reflecting, relishing, and releasing emotional childhood wounds, "Not the Child" delicately pierces The Kind's storyline. Backed by Garneau's angelic vocals and lush instrumentation, "Not the Child" is a moving ode to youth, growing up queer, and maneuvering through the tortuous paths of adulthood."- American Songwriter
"The clip finds Garneau reflecting on a queer childhood through dreams and intimate home movies...The video, like the song itself, is colorful and full of drama"- Variance
"Intimate, pared-back and powerful, singer-songwriter Chris Garneau's latest release, "Now On," rests heartrending lyrics over sparse piano." -Cool Hunting
"Chris Garneau has always pursued his own strange sonic path, drawing on a diverse array of influences to create an otherworldly, haunting and distinct lane in the singer-songwriter universe." - Billboard
