When you hear that a member of The Strokes is starting a side project, you pay attention because nine times out of ten, it’s going to be great. About a month has passed since The Strokes’ guitarist, Nick Valensi, announced his new side project, CRX. Along with that was a string of shows in Los Angeles and New York, but no official album announcement or even an official single release. If you’ve been wondering when Valensi was going to give out more info on CRX, wonder no more.
CRX will release their first album, New Skin, via Columbia Records on October 28th. The group’s debut was produced by Eagles Of Death Metal & Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. With their first official single, “Ways To Fake It,” CRX bring the riff-heavy power pop sound that could be heard in so many early Strokes songs while adding an extra flair to it that’s reminiscent of a song that you would hear in an 80’s teen drama.
If this first track is any indication of what the rest of their music sounds like, then their shows will be one you don’t want to miss. The group will be playing three shows opening for Beck this Fall as well as playing warm-up shows in Los Angeles and Chicago.
