THE AVALANCHE (CLOUDY CLEAR VINYL)

Coloured vinyl - Cloudy clear vinyl w/ download card.
Mike Kinsella's work over the years with his various musical endeavors
has been nothing short of foundational, from early days with Cap'n Jazz
right up until recently with American Football's unforeseen and excellent
second act. Even with his long list of contributions to course-setting
bands, Kinsella never reveals more of his internal world than he does with
the softly drawn songs of his long running solo project Owen. With new
album The Avalanche, he delivers a set of Owen songs that are the most
straightforward and unguarded the project has ever been.
To record The Avalanche, Kinsella reunited with producer Sean Carey (Bon
Iver, Peter Gabriel) and engineer Zach Hanson (The Tallest Man On Earth,
Waxahatchee) and decamped to snow-covered Hive Studio in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin, just far enough away from the routines and distractions of daily
life to really focus on the process. Echoes of the lo-fi bedroom balladry that
defined early Owen come through on the heart-crushing "I Should Have
Known," familiar open-tuned acoustic guitars and weary vocals supported
by glowing string arrangements. "On With The Show" is bounding and
upbeat, with a jangly instrumental standing in stark contrast to lyrics about
crushing failure. KC Dalager from Now, Now contributes guest vocals to
several songs, most notably the glacially paced album centerpiece "Mom
and Dead."
Easily the most intense Owen album, The Avalanche is also the most
beautifully crafted. Kinsella goes deeper than ever before, with selfreflection
so painfully blunt it's sometimes difficult to look at head on. It's a
guided walk through one of life's more difficult chapters, resulting in nine of
the best Owen songs ever penned and an album that's as heartbreaking
as it is magnificent.

For fans of S. Carey, Bon Iver, Hop Along, Big Thief, American Football,
Julia Jacklin, Phoebe Bridgers, Now, Now