“Lyrics that punch the gut in slow motion.” - Jeff Milo, WDET, Detroit NPR Affiliate

“Candid and cathartic […] A redemptive journey, well worth accompanying him on.” -Songwriting UK Magazine

Chris DuPont is a Michigan native tunesmith, endlessly reimagining the indie/folk paradigm. With an unmistakable ethereal tenor, diverse guitar work, and a taste for the cinematic, DuPont steers the classic eloquence and lyricism of 70’s folk/Americana into the iridescent haze of dream pop.

The unassuming vulnerability and intense presence of DuPont’s live performances have grown a dedicated following in the midwest and beyond, cementing him as a staple figure in Michigan’s Americana scene. After years refining his craft through touring on his albums Outlier (hailed by music critics as a “life affirming devastator”) and Live in A2 (an award-winning love letter to Southeast Michigan), Chris returned to the writing table to create his most captivating and unflinching work to date.

Floodplains is a sonic exploration of dream-state, lineage, personal upheaval, and re-grounding. DuPont’s dizzying guitar work and haunting voice are enveloped in a dense and lush soundscape, born of an explorative collaboration with co-producer Nick Gunty of the rising star Americana duo Frances Luke Accord. DuPont’s familiar chamber-pop roots find themselves augmented by mournful electric guitars, drum machines, samplers, and heavy vocal arrangements. This sonic blossoming is fitting, as the 11 tracks of Floodplains see DuPont veering even further into unapologetically personal lyrical material. 

During autumn 2020, to anticipate the LP, Chris released the album’s lead single (and opening track) Retrieve (featuring Detroit’s rising star pop artist Olivia Dear), followed by a 3-song teaser EP entitled Sandpaper Hymn. This EP featured the beat-laden Start Again (featuring up-and-coming vocalist Rin Tarsy), heart-rending title track Sandpaper Hymn (also featuring Tarsy), and 80’s tinged rock ballad I Took a Vow of Silence, offering a taste of the sonic breadth of DuPont’s latest offering. 

Floodplains and the pre-release singles feature stunning visual art work from Emilee Petersmark, perhaps best known as one of the frontwomen of one of Michigan’s favorite indie bands, the Crane Wives. Her work conjures juxtaposing echoes of graphic novel imagery and religious iconography, perfect for the tense and oft paradoxical content of DuPont’s new body of songs.

Chris was a top ten finalist in the 2013 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest songwriter competition, and a first place winner at Eddie's Attic songwriter night in April 2016. He has shared stages with a host of Midwest acts, as well as national acts Theo Katzman, Erin Zindle & The Ragbirds, Peter Mulvey, Edwin McCain, Brendan James, Needtobreathe, and Lucius. He is endorsed by Godin guitars and LR Baggs amplification.