Chad VanGaalen (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and artist from Calgary, … Read Full Bio ↴Chad VanGaalen (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and artist from Calgary, Alberta. In 2009, VanGaalen released a full-length album "Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz" under the alias Black Mold. In 2015, VanGaalen collaborated with Seth Smith of the indie rock band Dog Day on the album Seed of Dorzon.

Following a few scattered independent releases, done mostly on homemade CDs with hand-drawn art, VanGaalen released Infiniheart in 2004 on Canadian independent label Flemish Eye. Being a collection of songs selected from recordings made in his bedroom/makeshift studio, it was picked up in 2005 by indie label Sub Pop. In late 2005, the album was re-released with a bonus six-song EP entitled Green Beans.

On 22 August 2006, VanGaalen's second album, Skelliconnection, was released in the U.S. on Sub Pop and in Canada on Flemish Eye. The album comprised of new songs as well as tracks previously released on his earlier independent recordings and features exclusive artwork and videos made by VanGaalen. The album was named on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize.

VanGaalen's third studio album, Soft Airplane, was released 9 September 2008.

In 2009, VanGaalen released a full-length album "Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz" under the alias Black Mold.

In 2015, VanGaalen collaborated with Seth Smith of the indie rock band Dog Day on the album Seed of Dorzon.

Chad VanGaalen's Light Information, his sixth record on Sub Pop, was released on 8 September 2017.

As a visual artist, VanGaalen is known for his illustration and animation work. He has animated music videos for folks like J Mascis, Guster, and Holy Fuck.