Sunpools (Single) - Death & His Couch Band

Death & His Couch Band is a project by Charles Crowley, a friend from college who has been very busy with his music career since graduating a few years ago. He was part of Yume, of which I did a review of their EP A Violet Light & a Hum last year.

While "Sunpools" is not the first release from this project, it is distinctly different from the previous singles Charles has put out under the DTHCOBA name. I will say that I had heard some of the other material before, and some of it wasn't quite my taste (however, I did just discover how great the song "Biting Lips" is, a perfect mix of 90's and angst). The new release differs from these songs in the vibe and sonic pallet used; while many of the other songs were in the same vein of "Biting Lips" in being loud, distorted and more on the aggressive side, "Sunpools" moves in a much more dreamy, drawn out direction (similarly to Yume's sound). It takes it's time building up, utilizing repeating stanzas of lyrics and melodies to grow and grow into this echoing, pulsing piece of art. It's definitely not traditional in terms of the structure or sound; it's not something you're going to hear on most radio stations soon, but that's not a bad thing. These are the kinds of songs that help push the boundaries and experiment in ways that popular music doesn't.

I think what draws me most to the song is the way that it draws the listener in and lets you get lost in it. The vocals are fairly buried under the other elements, the guitar probably being the most prominent aspect, and it takes quite a few listens to really understand the lyrics (or you could avoid the trouble I had and see them written out on the project's Bandcamp page). I spent some time looking over the words, as well as talking to Charles a bit about what it meant to him and the ideas that inspired the song. His answer was something I really, thoroughly enjoyed:

"It's about damage and coping and the endless search for lightness."

 I asked him to expand a bit on the idea of an "endless search for lightness", as I found the phrase really intriguing, and he described it as:

"feeling good in this way where things don't feel heavy anymore...a hopeful, bright, weightlessness".

Which was interesting to me, because my initial thought was lightness in terms of the light that we see (brightness), not a light that we feel (weight or a lack thereof), especially given the references to the sun and light in the song (Charles stated that he also likes how the image of light does come along with the kind of language he uses, so I wasn't too far off)  When you look at the lyrics, you can definitely see the idea of weightlessness present, as well as in the instrumental and the way you can lose the sense of feeling and weight that can so easily bog people down.

If you haven't heard anything that Charles has done yet, then I promise that you're missing out on some really spectacular talent. Don't sleep on it anymore; support local talent, and show it some love!

Rating: 4/5

Death & His Couch Band's Website: dthcoba.com/