Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Punk-Pop Rocker Chris Nine Unleashes “ghosts” to Combat Whispers of Relationships-Past

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Punk-Pop Rocker Chris Nine Unleashes “ghosts” to Combat Whispers of Relationships-Past
Chris Nine
Fri Dec 24, 2021
Cashbox Canada

Shattering relationship ideals and their lingering effects on the psyche, Canadian rocker Chris Nine looks left at angst and right at pure adrenaline for his raucously rebellious, fully super-charged pop-punk new single and video, “ghosts”:

Taking a bayonet straight to the heart of the perilous emotional expedition that is love, and the raw vulnerability it takes to give it a shot, the Toronto-based singer/songwriter shares. “I wanted to embody the feelings of love with its heart-pumping feeling, juxtaposed by the heaviness it can leave,” Nine says. “‘ghosts’ captures how that overwhelming lust for another can topple one’s self-control over rationale, and open oneself up to the rollercoaster of emotion — just for the slim chance at happiness.”

Featured in the likes of Tinnitist, Canadian Beats, Cashbox, Record World, Find Your Sounds, BK On The Scene, and more, the song lands as part of Chris Nine’s recently unleashed post-hardcore pop-punk EP, the heavy. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Darren Benner, the video for ‘ghosts’ was directed and edited by Zeebrah Media’s Ryan Brough.

In a blistering trio of tracks that serve deeper purpose than an all-out, high-octane sonic sojourn — in fact, they nothing short of extricated the singer/songwriter after a devastating series of events (a concussion, a breakup, and a global pandemic, to start) — the searing series of songs are a two-way mirror, stripping ego and pride away as Nine earnestly parses pain through scathingly raw and honest sonic storytelling.

From there, a polished orchestration of razor-sharp guitar riffs and stadium-filling drums deliver Chris Nine’s supersonic yet melancholic musical offering.

“The songs on the heavy all resemble the past, present, and future components of dealing with relationships and trauma,” Nine reveals of ‘the rage,’ ‘fracture,’ and ‘ghosts.’ “I was navigating this mental fog, and confronting shadows of my past. From this, the heavy was summoned; each song sheds light on the different perspectives each version of self brings to the table, and the emotions that follow.

“This EP was a way of voicing frustration and growing pains in an incredibly cramped space that was the ‘quarantine,’” he continues. “I was lonely after a breakup, after losing friends, and I was feeling brain fog effects from a concussion. I felt I needed to become something new, and grow from it. With residual effects from my post-concussion syndrome, my eyesight and sense of self were removed. Ultimately, it forced me to adapt, and to start playing and writing in a different manner.”

One such way was using chord variations due to the decline of muscle memory. Focusing on simple, ‘to the point’ solos, all to avoid getting lost, Nine worked diligently to not only prevent forgetting ideas, but to not to create over-stimulus — which could have potentially worsened his symptoms.

“The first track started at ‘the rage’ and, vocally, something else came out of me,” he recalls of the process. “The harshness and sizzle in my vocals, that usually had to be held back, became paired with this aggressive rock sound my hands now shaped. Grit, and punchy, melodic vocal lines became my style of singing, and I knew I had stumbled onto something and needed to explore this true side of my voice, and myself.”

Nine also found the ongoing pandemic was exacerbating his experience and, after returning from a trip to the grocery store, feeling overwhelmed by the situation and its effect on his life, he experienced a breakthrough. “I came home, quickly grabbed my guitar, and played a riff I had never been able to write a melody line for,” he recalls. “I started to scream the first verse lyrics and, suddenly, a new style of lyric writing had become available to me.”

“fracture” was the first to receive this treatment, with “the rage” and “ghosts” followed soon after.

“‘ghosts’ was conceived in the idea of telling a full story, similar to the anime openings that had kept me sane and feeling secure the whole quarantine,” he shares. “Overall, this was the first time I delved into a more compressed tone, and really learned how to excel as a vocalist. Songs became more about melody and tight structure than they ever had before, and attention was paid to performance and emotion over what was ‘correct.’ It allowed me to open my writing to darker conversations, and take risks in my songwriting.

“Simply, the EP was there to support me; it was there to give me strength, and make me feel like I could be in the world once more. the heavy represents relentless energy, and hopefully teaches people to look inside and dig deep; to never give up, and never back down.”

the heavy — featuring “fracture,” “ghosts,” and “the rage” — follows additionally available singles “Stitches” and “jawbreaker.”

For more on Chris Nine check out:
chrisnine.com/
instagram.com/heychrisnine/
facebook.com/heychrisnine
twitter.com/heychrisnine
open.spotify.com/artist/5HP02duX8a5RSaVYtkdhBy?si=MQjT7mdYTOyNGUTU9sq39w&dl_branch=1&nd=1

Reviews
Album
Chris Nine
Month: Jun 2023
Wrené Embark On A Transformative Journey with WRENÉ’s Ethereal Vocals and Synth-…
David Leask Internationally Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter David Leask Empowers Empathy With…
Doug Crawford Doug Crawford Releases “Keep Chasing” Featuring Country Music Hitmaker…
Fog Blues & Brass Band Fog Blues & Brass Band Delivers A Melodic Dose With '12 Bar Prescription’
Frances Hope Victoria, BC-Based Singer-Songwriter Frances Hope Mends an Injured Wing with Dreamy,…
Giorgia Fumanti Italian-Canadian Classical Crossover Singer Giorgia Fumanti Releases 13th Album…
Fuat Tuaç Acclaimed Jazz Vocalist, Fuat Tuaç Releases His Fittingly Titled Second Album,…
Jackie Putnam Country Pop Rising Star Jackie Putnam Strikes Emotional Chords with Double A-…
Jayne Imagination Electro Artist Jayne Imagination Guides Us Through a Glittery, Industrial, Gauzy…
Kitchener/Waterloo’s Rising Pop Star JSJ Releases “Free” Kitchener/Waterloo’s Rising Pop Star JSJ Releases “Free”
Kele Fleming Kele Fleming Sings “Vanishing Of Bees” In New Remix By Atlas To Earth Set Me Free…
My Own Addiction Rock Band My Own Addiction Display Resolve In "Back To You" From Self-…
ORCHAD Montreal Pop Rockers ORCHAD Deliver Infectious Energy with New Single '…
The Spiritual Warriors Indigenous Roots Rockin’ Father and Daughter Lead The Spiritual Warriors…
Selina Boland Selina Boland Unveils Highly Anticipated Album 'All These Hours' - A…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 97
  • Page 98
  • Page 99
  • Page 100
  • Current page 101
  • Page 102
  • Page 103
  • Page 104
  • Page 105
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers