The solo project of NYC artist Curran Reynolds, Body Stuff summons a strange vision of cathartic rock music, bolstered with metallic power and cloaked in a dreamlike haze. At times, yearning, at times, euphoric, Body Stuff seems to encompass the extremes of NYC, from the sewer to the skyscraper. “Like a hardcore Bruce Springsteen,” read a review in The Wire Magazine in 2023. “Springsteen fully embracing his Suicide influence,” was Stereogum’s take on it. Reynolds opts to call it, simply, “hard rock.”

Sophomore album Body Stuff 5 brings the project to new depths and heights. Eight anthemic songs hum with longing and triumph. Big, slamming drum beats, seemingly echoing the boomboxes of NYC summers past, are peppered with storms of double-bass. Guitars, performed by Reynolds’s friend Andee Blacksugar (Blondie), ravage and glisten, transmitting from a place where hair metal and post-punk converge.

Recent live videos show Reynolds prowling the stage, headbanging, delivering his words with full-body conviction. His autobiographical lyrics explore the pain of existence, referencing haunting memories culled from more than a quarter-century of life in NYC – the isolation, the dangers of the street, the violent deaths of friends – but often land in a place of gratitude. The sincere and uplifting slant of Reynolds’s lyrics is one of the many factors separating Body Stuff from the pack. 

A writer, visual artist, and musician since childhood, Reynolds has been creating since the 1980s. The first Body Stuff EP, recorded between 2011 and 2012, is a thing of raw, awkward beauty. Minimalistic, metallic rock songs, propelled by a pounding drum machine, are crowned by ravishing hooks and ghostly interludes. The Body Stuff sound and vision grew steadily more elaborate from there, whilst holding true to the spirit of the early material. By the time the debut full-length, Body Stuff 4, dropped in 2023, Reynolds was able to get “I Think We’re Alone Now” pop star Tiffany to contribute guest vocals to one song and Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart to remix a track. He meanwhile developed Body Stuff into a full-fledged live act, appearing on bills around NYC with the likes of Martin Rev, Godflesh, and Uniform. 

His greatest work to date, Body Stuff 5 was engineered and mixed by longtime collaborator Ryan Jones and mastered by the iconic Ted Jensen (Madonna, Metallica). The album will be released via The Chain, the multi-faceted company founded by Reynolds in 2016 with partners Justin Pearson (Three One G Records, The Locust, Deaf Club) and Brandon Gallagher (Trace Amount).

Body Stuff is a project originating deep within the heart of its creator and occupying its own unique space. Yet, Reynolds’s hope is to unite, not divide: “My intention is to continue making the most authentic art I can,” he states. “This is how we make the world a better place.”

“A massive surge of passionate energy... like a hardcore Bruce Springsteen.”
–The Wire

“Reynolds’ hearty howl sounds like Springsteen fully embracing his Suicide influence.”
–Stereogum

“A bracing slab of industrially-oriented hardcore.”
–BrooklynVegan

“Early punk of the CBGBs-era, ‘80s post-punk and new wave, and even some post-hardcore. It’s a very New York City sound … Genuinely cool and engaging.”
–Decibel

“If Godflesh ever teamed up with Billy Idol, they'd still be trying to collect the formula that makes Body Stuff infectiously entertaining.”
–Metal Injection

“If Streetcleaner-era Godflesh had cut their teeth at CBGB’s, they might have sounded like Body Stuff.”
–MetalSucks

“It’s melodic and unrelenting; it vacillates between crystal clear breakdowns and chugging industrial attacks. It feels like the city that inspired it.”
–CVLT Nation

“One righteously epic dose of alt metal that will have you humming along while banging your head.”
–New Noise

“Of all his work, Body Stuff might be the closest to Reynolds' heart. The solo project serves as a vessel for the NYC-based musician to indulge his various influences.”
–No Echo

“New York denizens Curran Reynolds and Ryan Jones pay homage to the city's diversity and independent spirit.”
–The Big Takeover

“An extremely personal ode to NYC, with haunting, alluring, deep vocals – a cross between Justin Broadrick and Michael Gira... Simple and pure, showcasing immense attention to detail.”
–Exclaim!

“Decidedly New York... Rolling, dream pop... Devolves into a sonic, post-metal pummeling that would fit right at home on a Swans record.”
–PunkNews

DISCOGRAPHY:

BODY STUFF
EP, 2013 (DIGITAL, VINYL)
THE PATH LESS TRAVELED RECORDS

BODY STUFF 2
EP, 2016 (DIGITAL, CASSETTE)
THE PATH LESS TRAVELED RECORDS

BODY STUFF 3
EP, 2020 (DIGITAL)
THE CHAIN

BODY STUFF 4
LP, 2023 (DIGITAL)
THE CHAIN

BODY STUFF 5
COMING IN 2026