Christian Lee Hutson Shares New Song 'Cherry'

Christian Lee Hutson, a quick-witted Los Angeles lyricist and performer, has shared the song "Cherry" today from his upcoming album 'Quitters', out April 1. Listen to the song below.

"Cherry" returns Hutson to some of the high school themes from his 2020 album, 'Beginners'. The song charts the ridiculous "cringey" lies we tell in our adolescence, and Hutson also referenced memories of older friends from high school.

Hutson said, "I wanted to describe that part of growing up in Los Angeles, having a cool older friend who will drive you speeding and have you jump out on the roof of the car." However, Hutson's gift is describing these characters and the world they inhabit without moralizing about it. He is less interested in the "why," but in the simple mystery of describing these remembered moments from a place.

Produced by Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst, 'Quitters' crafts this portrait of the place he's from. In these short story-like songs, Hutson presents characters who carry this golden light and sinister geography inside them. It's a place where everything in the end gets blown away and paved over with something new, where even the ocean and fires are always whispering, "One day we'll take it all back." This is a Los Angeles in constant transition, where childhood is lost, where home is gone and can never be visited again. Yet Hutson's world is also one of happy accidents, where doors are left open on purpose, hoping that someone new will walk through. In the end, what's left are these songs created by some future spirit, written to comfort the person we are now.

Hutson stated, "When we made 'Beginners' the aim was to make simple digital recordings of how I would play the songs in the room. With this record, Phoebe and Conor had an idea that it would be fun to make it to tape. Phoebe is my best friend and making 'Beginners' with her was so comfortable and easy. So I wanted to work with her again."

"I took a long time with 'Beginners'," Hutson added. "I had those songs for 10 years, but these songs came out a lot faster." Because the songs from 'Quitters' were written in a shorter time, "there was a little bit of insecurity with the lyrics. Having Conor there served the purpose of someone who I really respect as a lyricist and could soothe my anxiety."

So if every great record is a world, then this is Christian Lee Hutson's world. It's a California filled with the fuzzy haze of a dream, and the half-remembered moments of a forgotten life. Songs that say, "That was so long ago, but I still remember you." A world where the past is never past, and the old people we once were still live inside the new people we are. It's a record brave enough to say, "In the good old days, when times were bad." But beyond the songs, it is this voice. The voice of someone who was alive in 2021 and recorded a group of songs with his friends for us to hear.

Later this month Hutson will join Bright Eyes on tour for an East coast and Midwest run of dates. He will also be headlining his own shows in Brooklyn and Los Angeles in April; all upcoming dates are listed below.

Listen to the new single here:

Tour Dates

3/23 - St. Paul, MN - The Palace
3/24 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside
3/25 - Madison, WI - Sylvee
3/26 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater
3/27 - Detroit, MI - The Masonic Cathedral
3/29 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
3/30 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
3/31 - Louisville, KY - Paristown Hall
4/1 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
4/2 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
4/3 - Columbus, OH - Express Live
4/5 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
4/6 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theater
4/7 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner
4/8 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
4/9 - Washington DC - The Anthem
4/10 - Norfolk, VA - NorVa
4/12 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right*
4/29 - Los Angeles, CA - Highland Park Ebell Club*

* - Headlining Show

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