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Music

Chrissy & Hawley's Self-Titled Debut Album is a Karaoke-Ready Burst of Summer Synth-Pop

Ahead of its release next month on The Nite Owl Diner.
Photo courtesy of the artists

Though Chrissy (the DJ, producer, Smartbar resident and historian formerly known as Chrissy Murderbot) and singer-songwriter Hawley Shoffner both hail from Kansas, it took them moving separately to the house music mecca of Chicago to meet. Inevitably, a collaborative project, Chrissy & Hawley, was born.

Next month, on July 15, the duo are releasing their self-titled debut album on The Nite Owl Diner, and it comes right on time for late, balmy summer nights spent belting catchy pop choruses out the taxi windows with your friends from high school. The eight-track record is brimming with nostalgia from past decades, from the bubbling disco of post-breakup anthem "A Life to Lead" to the 80s-style vocals of "Photobooth," the latter's lyrics ("Take a picture, it'll last longer") channeling a cheeky ebullience that will transport older listeners back to their childhoods.

"We're old friends who make totally different music in our solo endeavors, so we were really pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to work together once we combined forces," the duo told THUMP over email. "This album was our attempt to channel a lot of synth pop, Hi-NRG, and freestyle sounds—Pet Shop Boys, The Flirts, Debbie Deb, Bananarama—and to make something summery and fun and catchy inspired by all that."

Stream Chrissy & Hawley exclusively on THUMP below. On July 9, they will make their live debut at Smartbar, with future performances planned for Los Angeles and Berlin.