This collaborative project informs and excites with an innovative blend of thoughtful lyricism, soaring vocal harmonies, and mind-blowing improvisation. Song moods range from ethereal introspection to intense and open revolt as the musical energy takes you from a place of confident self-assurance, through a forest of confrontational, challenging ideas before returning you to the start–confident in new ideas and ready to dive back in and go deeper.
The Rope & The Rabbit metaphorically references the overarching theme of the record–a Jordan Peterson-influenced view that the best-lived life involves a continually-evolving process of self-discovery and self-refinement–a type of evolutionary personal development that challenges the individual on every front.
The Rabbit is your motivated self restlessly chasing after better ideas and greater knowledge. Your willingness to evolve by “burning off the dead wood” and becoming a more actualized version of yourself.
The Rope is representative of those things which stifle this process, holding you back: deep-seated and unchallenged beliefs, fear of the unknown, unaddressed personality deficiencies, excuses for your unproductive behaviors, social pressures to acquiesce to the status-quo, etc.
Through The Rope & The Rabbit, Owen-Glass is challenging all of us to let go of the rope and head down the proverbial rabbit hole to find ever-greater and ever-more-useful truths which will empower us to lead better lives individually so we might collectively enjoy the benefit of a better world.
While songs vary stylistically within the record, the overall vibe and tone is astonishingly cohesive. The songs all retain their intimate acoustic characteristic, with gospel-influenced structures and vocal harmonies, but the masterful arrangements purposefully create lots of space, allowing the diversity of instrumentation and style to shine through with funky bass runs, swinging drum fills, orchestral and rock violin accents, screaming saxophone features, and extended electric guitar solos.
The seven-piece band achieves a unique sound reminiscent of such influences as Wilco, Sufjan Stevens, early works of Portugal. The Man, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, The Black Keys, and Dave Matthews Band–even pulling off a pair of songs which denote a strong influence from popular 90’s bands like Dispatch, Sublime, and Third Eye Blind.Â
The Rope & The Rabbit is expected to release on March 2nd, 2019.Â