Northern Ireland-born, London-resident Owen Duff has been making music since 2006 .He has recorded four EPs and three albums, one of which, rather than releasing, he hid in secret locations around the world for people to find at random. On top of that he scored the Queerty Award-nominated web series Kissing Walls in 2019. His latest release is called bed.
Owen mentions “The songs are the love story of a gay couple who are only free to express their feelings for each other within the confines of their bed. There they are safe from the judgment of the outside world but not, as they discover, free of the internal conflicts and shame they carry, which eventually drive them apart.” The artist also mentions Sufjan Stevens, John Grant, Rufus Wainwright and Radiohead as comparisons. This is definitely the case. I was picking up on the intimacy and melancholy you heard on Carrie & Lowell and also Radiohead did come to mind as well. On that note Duff has his own sound so let's get into it. “Introduction / With my Regards” starts with a beautiful arrangement of piano, radio frequencies and orchestral swells. The vocals are intimate and right next to you. It fills you with solace and beauty. Not a bad start. “Genet on Uranus (the Story of Us)” picks up with a brighter emotional resonance. The song bursts with complex arrangements. It’s orchestral and there’s a lot going instrumentally behind the vocals. This is a fantastic song and gets more and more joyful as it progresses. “The One for Me You Are” is even more joyful. There’s again so much happening in the song in terms of the instrumental aspects. This song did remind me again of Sufjan Stevens but more aligned with his release Chicago. “The Dissonance” however veers more into that Radiohead territory in terms of aesthetics but I also was reminded of The Beatles. The arrangement is complex and gorgeous. I loved the lead sax and the vocals sounded fantastic as well. “Pothos’ goes deep into a contemplative energy. It's mostly piano and vocals. The song is grand but intimate. “A Lightless Love” has moments where it feels like the song is about two inches away from you while “One Word” is one of the catchiest and joyful songs that could be the single. As the album progressed Duff continued to go deep. Some of the other highlights were “Spaces” and the more haunting “Two Houses.” I thought the guitar picking and orchestration sounded just about perfect on the closer “In Loving Memory.” This is an album that had a lot of attention to detail. It pays off. The album is very emotive. It’s the type of album that I would revisit when I needed to think or felt melancholy. I thought this was an exceptional listening experience. Highly recommended.
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