Chris Staples

 When American singer-songwriter Chris Staples settled into the quiet rhythm of Richmond, VA—where deer graze through backyards and rabbits dart across early morning sidewalks—he was granted a small gift: stillness. In a career that has stretched from Florida to Washington and witnessed the release of 7 studio albums, Staples hasn’t had the kind of domestic ease and opportunity to reflect on more than the immediate past. But in 2023, he was afforded time for deeper, longer looks backward. It was in these quiet moments that Don’t Worry began to take shape. 

 Writing more for this record than perhaps any of his others, Chris draws from a wide archive of memory: small towns, long drives, quiet anecdotes from strangers—moments once considered mundane now hum with new meaning. And maybe it’s the stillness or the perspective earned from time spent writing for others (he wrote over fifty custom songs for people) or the clarity gained from the experience of writing Cloud Souvenirs, here Staples is intentional in his restraint. The songs never overstay their welcome— each enters, encapsulates the idea, and moves on before the moment closes in. The arrangements are equally unhurried, allowing space for fingerpicked guitar lines, hushed harmonies, understated piano melodies, and textures provided by a pedal steel guitar or warm synth. Chris is giving us the same gift he received.