Information/Write-up
Moon Socket is the long-running solo project of Chris Thompson (born July 4, 1971, Ottawa, Ontario), a key figure in Canada’s Maritime indie scene. Best known as a founding member of Eric’s Trip, Thompson has also performed in projects like Orange Glass, The Memories Attack, and Diamondtown—but Moon Socket remains his most intimate and enduring musical outlet.
Although born in Ottawa, Thompson was raised in Moncton, New Brunswick from the age of five. He began recording under the Moon Socket name in 1992, before Eric’s Trip disbanded, using the project to explore a more vulnerable, stripped-down approach to songwriting—marked by hushed vocals, acoustic textures, and lo-fi production steeped in four-track tape hiss. While his work with Eric’s Trip leaned toward distorted indie rock, Moon Socket focused on emotional interiority, often performed and recorded entirely by Thompson himself.
The first official Moon Socket release was Spaced-Odd-Ditties, a 1993 7-inch on Sappy Records. This was followed by Moon Socket (1995) on Ratfish Records, and a full-length album of the same name later that year. His breakthrough came with The Best Thing (1996), a home-recorded LP praised for its intimate tone and melodic restraint. In 1997, he released Take the Mountain on Squirtgun Records, a fuller-sounding record that retained the raw immediacy of his earlier work.
Thompson also caught the attention of Sub Pop, who issued the 7-inch single “Accept Fear” as part of their SP0298 limited series, cementing Moon Socket’s place in the lo-fi canon of the 1990s. His work also appeared on compilations like More of Our Stupid Noise and Homemade Hits Vol. 2.
After a lengthy hiatus, Moon Socket returned in 2015 with Eurydice, a haunting, mature album released on Noyes Records that explored themes of memory and longing with sparse instrumentation and quiet grace.
Outside of Moon Socket, Thompson has remained deeply involved in Canadian indie music. He contributed to Julie Doiron’s 2007 Polaris Prize-nominated album Woke Myself Up and has continued performing and recording with various East Coast acts.
Moon Socket stands as a crucial voice in Canada’s lo-fi tradition—unfiltered, deeply personal, and quietly influential.
-Robert Williston
Chris Thompson: vocals, instruments
Rick White: drums (tracks 1 to 3, 5, 14)
Written by Moon Socket
Recorded by Chris Thompson and Rick White at Stereo Mountain, in early + mid 1996
Mixed by Rick White
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