The solo project of NYC artist Curran Reynolds, Body Stuff summons a strange vision of cathartic rock music that indeed evokes the passion of The Boss, then bolsters it with metallic power and cloaks it 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. Reynolds opts to call it, simply, “hard rock.” Having just released the first Cocteau-meets-dance-post-punk inspired single “Sacrifice,” Body Stuff has released “Hysteria,” a nod to Reynolds’s  80’s childhood. Curran further explains: 

“My dad was a classical music fan and some of my earliest memories are of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, etc. As a kid, I was excited to hear pop and rock bands of the 1980s play around with classical elements, in songs like “Rock Me Amadeus” and “The Final Countdown.” The strings on ‘Hysteria’ are a nod to that tradition. ‘Hysteria’ is a simple song that equates turmoil in the world with turmoil in the body, then suggests that love is the way out.”

Sophomore album, Body Stuff 5, coming October 16, 2026, brings the project to new depths and heights. Through eight anthemic songs, humming with longing and triumph, Body Stuff 5 captivates. Big, slamming drum beats, seemingly echoing the boomboxes of NYC summers past, are peppered with storms of double-bass. Guitars, performed by Reynolds’ friend Andee Blacksugar of Blondie, ravage and glisten, transmitting from a place where hair metal and postpunk converge. Organ, trumpets, and church bells make fleeting appearances. 

Tying everything together is Reynolds’ voice, an earnest bellow that has earned comparisons to Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman as well as the aforementioned Springsteen. 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, but often land in a place of gratitude. The sincere and uplifting slant of Reynolds’ lyrics is one of the many factors separating Body Stuff from the pack. “I want to give ’til nothing’s left, complete surrender, nothing less,” he insists on the album’s rousing opener, “Eternal Hurricane.” “Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice for love,” he pleads at the end of the album’s closer, “Sacrifice.” 

With sophomore album Body Stuff 5 coming out via The Chain (the multifaceted company co-founded by Reynolds and Justin Pearson of The Locust, Deaf Club, and Three One G Records), Body Stuff is Reynolds’ primary focus. It is a project originating deep within the heart of its creator and occupying its own unique space. Yet, Reynolds’ hope is to unite, not divide: “My intention is to continue making the most authentic art I can. This is how we make the world a better place.”

Photo Courtesy: Paul Roura