This past summer was deemed “brat summer” due of the release of the album “brat” by pop artist Charli XCX. What I want to know, though, is if it’s too early to name what music will define autumn this year – if not, I already know what to call it. Denver-based rock band, A Place For Owls, recently announced their upcoming album, how we dig in the earth, and I am certain that this autumn will be “how we dig in the earth autumn”.
A Place For Owls released their first single from the album, “broken open seed”, and it has already begun to both define and enhance how I experience the beginning of autumn. I walk faster so as to match the beat of the song, leaves and acorns crunching underfoot, the branches of the trees that line my street just beginning to look bare, just beginning to prepare for the chillier days of late September and October. The days have begun to get shorter and I watch as the night sky shifts ever so slightly, the heavens preparing for new constellations. Just like these moments, I feel as though “broken open seed” is transitionary – A Place For Owls is stepping into their new era with how we dig in the earth and “broken open seed” leads into both the album and their new era perfectly.
A Place For Owls is one of those bands that you don’t see coming at first, and then, with a rush, they rise from the moss and forest floor, and like will-o’-the-wisps floating in the distance, they call you in, drag you in, the bottoms of your shoes getting muddier as you make your way into the dense forest, the little blue lights calling you further and further until you can’t find your way out – what I mean is, A Place For Owls is completely unforgettable and I will let the forest of their music hold me until I die. The single, “broken open seed”, creates such an ambiance, utilizing a mixture of heavier guitar and soft, plucked riffs, the sound washing over you like a storm. And, once again, with “broken open seed”, we are reminded of the incredible lyricism that A Place For Owls is capable of. Every time that the lyric “when everything’s asleep” is sung, I feel the moss and dirt of the forest floor pulling me deeper in, deeper down, “broken open seed” lulling me to sleep, my skin turning green and my bones turning to acorns and dried leaves.
Do yourself a favor and experience this song outside, experience it with someone you love, experience it with crunched leaves underfoot.
Written by Valor
