About & Press - Genuine Leather

Genuine Leather has been around for a while – since 2011 – but you probably haven’t heard of them. That’s because Chris Galis, the singer/songwriter behind Genuine Leather, has kept it mostly contained to himself, friends, and the local music scene in Austin, TX. Sure, the project has had some favorable press coverage over the years – both for their songs and their live shows – but they’ve never taken it that seriously. Up until now, Genuine Leather has mostly been an outlet for Galis’ songwriting and a great excuse to hang out with friends who have been in and out of various bands together over the years. Weekly practices evolved into parking lot beer-for-beer drinking sessions where they’d talk about how they want to sound like The White Stripes, or Prince, or The Replacements, or Tame Impala, or Tears for Fears, and whether or not Greta van Fleet is a good band or not.

Since its inception, Chris Galis has self-released 3 full lengths (Genuine Leather LP, Losers, Brunch), 3 EPs (Crude Magic, Barb Wire, Donnie & the Smokes), and a smattering of singles (People Just Like You / Feel It, Jeff Jazz, Sweet Spot / This Town, So Many Ways) scattered throughout the band’s Spotify, Bandcamp, and Soundcloud. With each release, Genuine Leather has sailed through genres and influences, at times sounding like a slacker indie blog-rockers, then sleazy guitar rock auteurs, then breezy folk-driven songsmiths, then glam aficionados, and – in their final form – synth pop enthusiasts. But no matter their reference points, at each turn, the songwriting was always the focus – Genuine Leather has and always will be in pursuit of The Great Song.

Unknowingly, Galis had pigeonholed himself as a home recording/DIY low fidelity project, and that’s not where his ambitions ended. Galis decided to dig deep on a set of songs that would be a large step forward in his own personal musical growth, and a departure for Genuine Leather.

Where, in the past, his MO was to write a song, record it as quick as possible, and release it, for this go-around, he got patient, focused in on his craft and refined his approach. He got better at the technical stuff: recording, mixing, editing. He took his time on the creative stuff: lyrics, instrumentation, arrangements. All of this led to a cohesive set of 6 songs that draw a line in the sand between it and everything that came from before.

In fall of 2022, Galis teamed up with The Animal Farm, a UK-based label, to help him refine his approach and develop other key components of being an artist that is taken seriously.

The end result was a 6-song EP released in the fall of 2023 titled Genuine Pleasure, which has received more than 100,000 streams to date.

In 2024, Galis and the Genuine Leather band spent the year promoting the release, earning key placements in radio (both local Austin and national) and playing their biggest shows to date.

Recent Press

Recent Highlights

Opening support for I Dont Know How But They Found Me at ACL Nights at Empire (10/4/25)
Artist at 101x Homegrown Live Presents @ Cheer Ups (7/12/25)
KUTX’s “Song of the Day” 5.14.24 (“Genuine Leather’s clearly comfortable in their newfound high-fidelity factory…”)
Single release show highlighted as KUTX’s Austin Music Minute (“Genuine Leather‘s latest “Getting Used to the Feel,” their first release since the 2023 EP Genuine Pleasure, reflects some intensified emotions from a scary uncertainty”)
Covered on Austin Town Hall (“There’s something about the pacing and punch of the synth lines in this tune that make it feel like a bit of a slow bump and grind from the R&B heydays”)
Performed SXSW Showcase for Side One Track One vs Austin Town Hall (3/10/25)
Included in 101x Homegrown Radio playlist
Music on regular rotation on KUTX, KROX, and KOOP in the Austin area

“Getting Used to the Feel”

“Getting Used to the Feel” maintains that Tame Impala quality we gushed about last June, but slows its roll and finds Galis’ vocals in a more spacious arrangement, which totally makes sense in the context of its immediate post-COVID ‘return to normalcy’ penning.” – KUTX Song of the Day

About “Genuine Pleasure EP”

“Think of acts like Tame Impala or Phoenix, sprinkling in just a bit more modern pop attitude. Genuine Pleasure is going to please a lot of ears…” – Austin Town Hall

“a Tame-Impala-meets-Toro-Y-Moi wrecking ball of psych-pop… bookended by long-swelling, heavily-modulated synth chords, “Tear It Down” creates a must-hear atmospheric foundation before pulling the rug out and letting loose with some of the slickest pop-rock we’ve heard come out of Austin in a minute.” – KUTX

“As the third single from their upcoming EP, ‘“’Tear It Down’ delivers a powerful teaser for what’s to come from Genuine Leather. “ – Plastic Mag

“Promises” is an exciting and infectious single that showcases Genuine Leather’s versatility and willingness to experiment with various sounds. – Sistra

“With “Promises”, Chris Galis has crafted a 3-minute dance-pop gem that is guaranteed to get bodies moving. The song highlights Galis’ ability to write captivating and catchy hooks. “Promises” draws inspiration from a range of musical styles, including the classic sounds of Wilco and Tears for Fears, as well as the modern, synth-driven soundscapes of Tame Impala.” – Each Measure

“Genuine Leather have definitely made a banger with ‘Even If I Could.'” – UptoHear Music

“An 80s pop vibe similar to Thompson Twins is threaded into the chorus, but the stadium friendly alternative tones of the song sit well next to the likes of White Lies, Editors, and CHVRCHES.” – Analogue Trash

About “Genuine Leather: 2011 – 2019 Demos, Singles, and Live”

It’s a stunning album, full of little innovative garage rock nuggets that chart the creative trajectory of the band.

– The Vinyl District // link

Coming at you like a freight train with the weight of eight years of travel is the golden-hued rock of Austin’s Genuine Leather.

– Impose Magazine // link

Texan Chris Galis and his ongoing project Genuine Leather are certainly in the lovers camp, and for good reason too. After three LPs, some EPs, and some singles, they have decided to try to collect their musical thoughts in a humbly named collection called 2011 -2019 Singles, Demos and Live. Frankly, nothing to be humble about here as vocal harmonies and guitar riffs, and nor should there be. Reminiscent of a number of huge power pop staples, Sloan being first in line, Genuine Leather musically does all the genre-lovers proud, because years of going at it have given them the chops to come up with some good sounds, something you can hear and feel right from “Feel It”, the opening track here.

– Spill Magazine (8/10) // link

About “Losers”

“We’re in love with Genuine Leather” -OVRLD [LINK]

“concise, snappy pop-rock that you could file next to your Elvis Costello and Cheap Trick LPs.” -KUTX [LINK]

“Few things are as breezy or easily enjoyable as a Genuine Leather song” -SIDE ONE TRACK ONE [LINK]

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