Alex Koford

Alex Koford returns with a dreamy new single, “Chemicals and Purple Haze,” produced by Dave Schools of Widespread Panic. The track is a soulful, psychedelic meditation on growth, self-awareness, and the search for truth. It begins as a gentle haze — ambient and slow-burning — before expanding into a stirring, full-bodied soundscape. It’s a song that holds space for uncertainty while still reaching toward something hopeful and human.

Lyrically, “Chemicals and Purple Haze” moves through smoke, memory, and transformation, tracing a path from disillusionment to self-realization. “The core of the song is about maturing — about realizing the answers were always inside me, not coming from anything external,” says Koford. “It’s a reminder to look in the mirror every now and again and remember that you are the author of your story.” 

With its blend of poetic imagery and grounded reflection, the song captures both the beauty of surrendering and the quiet strength that comes from within. 

 

Alex Koford has unveiled his third original single, “When I Rise,” serving as the follow-up to already-dropped numbers “A Fabled Lullaby” and “Alive Sacred Creatures.” Extending the artist’s prior independent introduction, “When I Rise” serves as his first self-produced, self-recorded, and self-mixed single. Further exemplifying his unique skill set, which has been displayed with Grateful Dead adjacent projects, Grateful Shred and the Terrapin Family Band.

The track tactfully acts as the first page of a new chapter, inviting listeners to get familiar with Koford’s distinct ability to create a desired sound and effect. “When I Rise” was tracked at the musician’s home studio in Los Angeles and presents Koford’s lyrical reconciliation with past mistakes, ultimately serving as acknowledgment and a call to move forward. Tender lines are coalesced by acoustic guitar and a consistent backbeat that leans into the artist’s influences like Fruit Bats, Sam Evian, Andy Shauf, Hiss Golden Messenger, Wilco and Paul McCartney.

“I never really have a plan,” confesses Koford. “Very rarely is it thought out of this is what I am trying to do. This song just happened.” Unabashed honesty melds into a more pertinent return; as the artist points out, writing provides a purposeful outcome: “It’s mostly my coping mechanism.”

“This is what I love to do, and I’m trying to be better about releasing my new music,” Koford added, percolating the intent for the expansion of his independent repertoire. “Music is a puzzle, and I thoroughly enjoy it,” Koford concluded, adding a capstone summarizing his own intentionality with his self-produced, recorded, and mixed approach.

Koford has enchanted audiences across the country as a member of Grateful Shred and the Terrapin Family Band.