Chrysanthemum Ballroom

In January of 2022, singer/songwriter Chrys J began writing new songs out of love and admiration for his earlier art school days in Chapel Hill, NC. In college he discovered punk and metal but it was the darker side of the sound spectrum that really enamored him. Darkwave, post punk and goth rock mixtapes became his study guides and creative inspiration. He wandered in and out of several local indie bands as a guitarist and vocalist but it wasn’t until late 2021 that he began to put these new ideas to pen and paper. This new music started to combine dark angular post punk guitar with driving danceable drums and bass. He wrote quickly and recorded several demos that would see the light of day under his newly christened Chrysanthemum Ballroom bandcamp page. “Night Hope” was released in March, then the single and video for “Mirrorball Explodes” in May. The sound marries elements of early new wave, deathrock and darkwave with mystical lyrics and haunting themes. In late October Chrys released the single and video for “Trick of the Lights” and played his inaugural live show for a goth night in Lynchburg, Virginia. Chrysanthemum Ballroom will round out the year with an east coast run of shows in early December.