Premiere: CHIMNEY, ‘Little One’

Kevin Bronson on June 5th, 2017

0

CHIMNEY is the name for the music of Dan Molad, who has manned the drum kit and/or mixing console for a host of artists — notably Lucius, and also Here We Go Magic, JD McPherson, San Fermin and Pavo Pavo. CHIMNEY’s self-titled album, out June 23 on Dine Alone Records, is a collection of alternately joyful and melancholy songs mirroring Molad’s life the past couple of years: a move from New York to L.A. and the success of Lucius vs. relationship turmoil and the loss of his boyhood friend, comedy writer Harris Wittels (“Parks and Rec”), who died in 2015 after a battle with drugs. In either mood, CHIMNEY’s songs carry a certain gravitas and resonance, and the rhythms are a big part. He uses percussion the way a gifted writer uses punctuation.

The song “Little One” is an homage to his departed friend. “Harris is someone I grew up with in Houston,” Molad says. “I kinda taught him how to play the drums. I wrote and recorded this song the night after he died. It’s a really bizarre thing writing about death. Ultimately, it’s something that makes you feel better … or at least makes you feel it fully. Having your work as an outlet is the most amazing gift we’re given as artists. It hurts to hear and play this song, but it’s also a memory and a reminder that’s always there for me. I am extremely grateful for that.” The song has the chilling feeling of Molad having an intimate conversation down a long hallway. It’s one we’ll all walk, eventually, and one some go down too soon.

||| Stream: “Little One”