Australian Eugene Holcombe released EP1 July 2019, and it has a beautiful complexity to behold. Both vulnerable and strong at the same time his narrative piano folk songs are a release of his grief from the Victorian bushfires of 2009.
The album opens with "We're All Listening" which contains a striking string ensemble for your auditory pleasure. "These walls are not enough to hide you," Holcombe starts. You can feel the grief, the struggle of adulthood and the young naive wishes. His opening song is my favorite on the whole album. The seriousness starts off with his lyrics, but mid-song "We're not all like this," adds a shift in the melody and tone of joviality. "Dealing with Darkness... I've moved on to another phase..." Just a few of the lyrics in the second song of the album "The Spaces." There's a bit of electric guitar supporting the piano in this piece, at one point even indulging in an interlude. This is the song of missing home, of the space of memory, house, and family. "The time will come to undo... but for now I'll play this game of hide and seek with myself. / It’s childish, but I'm not ready." Such a relatable lyricist! We transition into "Patterns." A bit more of a jazzy tone, almost Michael Bubble with a little bit of Marlon Williams. This is the rainy day song on the album. The lyrics feel like the constant back and forth of the games we play within ourselves for survival. Mainly piano and a dash of cello. The vocals are the centerpiece of this song. The album completes with "A Dog." American folk, resilience, and derealization coping mechanisms come to the surface. Eugene touches upon social interactions, pleasantries, and the coping mechanisms humans have in their own lives. "If I had a dog, it might give me something to say." Holcombe's EP1 is a beautifully human narrative work. The processing of grief, the muchness of it all, and just making it through. American jazz, folk and storytelling invite you into his relatable world. He is a vulnerable crooner with a fierce stand for the human experience. It includes fantastic piano playing and inviting string instruments.
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