NYC Indie Rock outfit Crash Harmony have revealed “Velour Goddess“, the first preview of their debut record No One Asked For This, to be released on October 18th, 2024, via Magic Door Record Label. Returning after a 30+ year hiatus, the quartet will be releasing a full-length album of 10 songs, for which they worked with Producer Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, Luna) at Magic Door Recording in Montclair, NJ.
Crash Harmony is made up of Dave Derby (vocals, guitars), Mike Potenza (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Jon Nighswander (bass, vocals), and Nils Nadeau (drums, percussion, vocals). Formed in 1986 at Yale University in New Haven, CT, the band played its last gig in May 1988 and hadn’t played together again until beginning to record this album in 2022.
Back in college as part of a bustling music scene, Crash Harmony spent their time figuring out what they wanted to sound like. They were busy absorbing everything, and trying it all on while playing house parties, frat houses, and clubs throughout New England.
They moved on to other jobs and other bands. Dave went on to The Dambuilders (and then Gramercy Arms), Mike served on The Anderson Council, Jon left for Europe, and Nils wandered north. Decades later, Crash Harmony reformed to make a new record of old songs.
Jon Nighswander reflects:
Dave and I initially bonded over anglophilia, including a shared love of The Jam, cockney slang and alcohol. I came out of the New Hampshire punk scene and was a founding member of Five Balls of Power (other members went on to join such bands as Dropkick Murphys, Scissorfight and the Radicts). Dave and Nils both were willing to play around with different styles and a level of musicianship that was a notch above the average college band.
Dave Derby adds:
Nils and I had been in a successful indie pop band. I wanted to create something that was both heavier and more psychedelic in that 80s college radio Paisley Underground sort of way, but then we recalibrated towards more of a 70s vibe. We tried really early on to align ourselves with the New Haven scene and not just the Yale one.
