‘COMBE’ by Owen Steel | Album Premiere
Exclusive album premiere of ‘COMBE’ by Owen Steel, out June 7, 2024.
‘COMBE’ is an album that takes listeners on a journey through an internal valley of noise—noise that aches, malfunctions, and eventually opens up the heart, transforming into silence.
In his third full-length effort, New Brunswick’s own songsmith Owen Steel collaborated closely with psycho-boogie maverick Keith Hallett. Together, they’ve crafted a body of work that’s both dark and moody. Each of the album’s nine tracks exists in its own distinct world, yet all come together under a psych-folk umbrella. As Steel himself explains, the album moves from chaotic clamor to a subtle, profound coherence.
“As I worked on the record, I kept asking myself, what is this album even about? So much of it was written in a free-write manner, and I initially thought the songs were unrelated sonic vignettes, possibly without any meaning at all. Then, as I was reading through the lyrics one day, I noticed a common thread: Noise.
‘A pause to gather from silence, noise so white and so hot that it glows.’
‘My jaw becomes a saw and with a bow I bend a note. A high pitch never sank so low.’
‘There are shapes and shards; Sounds that maul. Can you hear it barking?’
It dawned on me that I was subconsciously writing an album about dealing with internal clamor. I was fighting sound with sound. Even though I was applying meaning after the fact, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. For years, I have been dealing with ceaseless ringing in my ears—tinnitus—related to a TMJ issue. This constant hiss and whine can be exacerbated by various stresses.”
Pre-pandemic, a surge in mental health issues began to surface at an unprecedented level, creating a feedback loop of psychotic tailspins that felt like tornados inside Steel’s ears. This unbearable buzzing led him to manage it with antipsychotic medication and counseling, culminating in a diagnosis of psychotic depression.
“In these moments, it feels very much like navigating through a precarious, dark place, and that’s where the album’s name comes from. COMBE is an old English word referring to a steep, narrow valley. Reflecting on the songs and their origins, the title seemed fitting. My family name is DACOMBE (we were originally from the valley), and as I learn to manage this noise, I am also able to accept it as part of who I am.”
‘COMBE’ will be released worldwide across all streaming services on June 7. A limited run of LPs and CDs is available through Owen Steel’s Bandcamp. Don’t miss this evocative journey through the depths of sound and silence.
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