Chicago-based Indie-folk singer-songwriter Chris Rawlins is set to unleash his highly-anticipated sophomore release, Flyover, in just a few days – on October 24, 2025. For nearly a decade, Rawlins has been quietly writing and performing his songs, catching the attention of one listener after another as he continues to earn his reputation as a well-respected voice in the competitive genres of Folk and Americana. This teaser single, "After Dark," finds him slowing down a bit, offering a sparsely accompanied and nostalgic homage to the place of his birth, the Midwest.
I’m the Midwest, I’m the stars
I have the bruises on my arm
I cried the day I had to leave
I’ll cry the day when you are all I need
Welcome to paradise
Your dreams are bigger than your eyes
No one there to tuck you in
Lay awake and staring at the sky
Rawlins was raised in Kalamazoo, MI, and left for New York City at the earliest opportunity. When the East Coast became more expensive and less feasible, he returned home, but soon found his way to Chicago, where the city and music community offered a welcome blend of wonder and familiarity. So this reminiscence is more than a little bittersweet, blending the fairy dust of unbothered dreams with a bit of urban grit. The songs of Flyover are a love letter to the Midwest, but also a condemnation of it: a celebration of loss and rebirth, and of thriving community, but a warning that with wisdom comes responsibility to both the wishes of our past, and the evolution of our spirit. In this world, to ignore our desire is to imprison the very thing that makes us whole.
We were very impressed with the authenticity of Chris Rawlins' vocal presence, and the densely-packed themes of his lyricism. "After Dark" is a gorgeous example of his attention to detail as a songwriter, and the quiet power of his poignant country croon.
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All songs written by Chris Rawlins (ASCAP) | Published by Side Salad Music (ASCAP)
Produced by Chris Rawlins & John Abbey | Recorded at Kingsize Sound Labs (Chicago, IL)
Mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound (Maplewood, NJ)
Cover photo: Plowed Fields, Berrien County, 1983 by Gary Cialdella
For fans of: Gregory Alan Isakov, Jackson C. Frank, Devendra Banhart, Jim Croce, Gillian Welch