Christopher Emond Unveils Debut Album 'Music from Clocks’ via Orange Label Records
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Music from Clocks marks a moving reintroduction of the now 23-year-old artist, who cut his teeth under various pseudonyms as a teenager in San Jose, California and recently emerged as a fixture in Brooklyn’s DIYs. The title is dually inspired by the signal outs of synthesizers, of which Emond is an avid collector and student, and by a mystic series of antique stopwatches passed down through his family.
The LP pits both ends of Emond’s musical focuses against each other: Drawing inspiration from 00’s Japanese detective video game soundtracks, lo-fi folk songwriters and minimal IDM, his weaved finger-picked guitar ballads sit alongside instrumental tracks featuring drum machines, film samples, arpeggiators and sweeping pads.
Emond produced and played all instruments on the eclectic 13-track record from his Brooklyn apartment, save saxophone from Henry Solomon (Chanel Beads, Vampire Weekend) on “Dollar General”, a drum solo from Simon Rosenthal (Holidays in United States) on “Halloween,” and a feature from Riya Mahesh of Quiet Light on “Minor League Debut.” The project was mixed and mastered by longtime collaborator Steve Vealey (Fievel Is Glaque, Daedelus).
Recent live performances alongside Dan English, Quiet Light, Superfan, Maiya Blaney, Worldpeace DMT and more have painted him as a magnetizing, albeit guitar-dependent songwriter. However, his bedroom studio arrangements are fully fleshed here with piano, live + sample drums, and, for the first project yet, his own violin parts. He brings his thorough study and collection of synths and keyboards to the table, including the Roland SH-101 used by Neon Indian on his album Era Extraña, the Buchla Easel, Prophet, Moog Grandmother, CS-80 (VST), CZ (VST) and the Mellotron (VST).
The writing of Music from Clocks emerged in the aftermath of the release of his critically acclaimed debut EP, Oh yea, Dance boogeyman!, which landed February 2024 to support from Spotify’s Anti Pop, Fresh Finds Folk & Fresh Finds Indie; tour dates at New York’s Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom ensued. With electronic production bordering on conceptual, the album stays grounded by Emond’s introspective songwriting tendencies—the result of a years-long focus on individuality in guitar writing and structures, which has built a small but dedicated following.
Singles “Fractured in Braids,” “Why??????,” “Minor League Debut,” and “The Virgin Loses Again” (a cover taken from The Glands’ 1997 epic Double Thriller) were accompanied by animated videos created with collaborators and roommates Carsten Nahum, Garrett Winston, and Lauren Koo.
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER EMOND
Raised in San Jose, California, Singer-Songwriter and Composer Christopher Emond released projects experimenting with electronic music and lo-fi acoustic rock under various pseudonyms, founding Orange Label Records by the time he enrolled in college, aged 18. Building a budding scene around his off-kilter IDM and folk influences, Emond championed friends and local acts by directing and shooting music videos.
Emond enrolled in college in New York and began to establish himself as a live force; he has built a reputation as both a magnetizing guitarist and an experimental electronic composer with his acoustic fusion-based live setup. Recent performances include Bowery Ballroom, Elsewhere, Stone Circle Theater, and Mercury Lounge. 2024 saw the self release of his critical acclaimed debut EP Oh yea! Dance, boogeyman! and a compilation tape of assorted demos from 2019-2023, aptly titled Mismatches, scores and demos 2019-2023.
Tracklist
Music from Clocks
Halloween
Fractured in Braids
Pg. 1-15, Clockwork Tower One: “Light stretches out and reaches the River campsite” (feat. Alain C. Montgomery)
Dollar General
Why??????
Wilson
Pg.147, My very own Nuclear Missile (feat. Alain C. Montgomery)
The Virgin Loses Again
Redwood Southeastern twister
Minor League Debut (with @quietlight_forever)
Pg. 542: Clockwork Tower Three (feat. Alain C. Montgomery)
Wing chime
Normal Symptoms
