Chet “JR” White, the bassist and producer for the indie rock outfit Girls has passed away at the age of 40, according to Pitchfork. The band was notable for their nostalgic sound, which took inspiration from music from the 1950s to the 1970s, while spanning across different genres such as lo-fi, surf rock, rock and roll, psychedelic rock, pop rock, country rock, and garage rock.
“I hope you feel nothing but peace now my brother,” his former Girls’ bandmate Christopher Owens tweeted. “I love you, and thank you for believing in me, and for what you brought to the table. Always and Forever, and I’ll always be proud of you…. I’ll always remember you protecting Liza, Patrick, myself, and Beta from the jerks.”
Raised in Santa Cruz, California, White was first part of a punk outfit called the Willies as a teenager. He eventually moved to San Francisco, to attend the now defunct California Recording Institute, before eventually meeting Christopher Owens, who was playing alongside Ariel Pink in Holy Shit. The two would go on to form Girls in 2007, releasing two records 2009’s Album and 2011’s Father, Son, Holy Ghost. They released the Broken Dreams Club EP in 2010 and a slew of singles between 2008 and 2012.
The band would eventually break up in 2012, with White going on to work as a musician and producer on Tobias Jesso Jr.’s 2015 album Goon. He would also collaborate with Cass McCombs, Glitz and Spectrals later on his career. White also reportedly recorded with DIIV, but these recordings have never been released.
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