There can be few musicians as prolific as Mike Kinsella. In his various guises with bands including Cap’n Jazz, American Football, Joan of Arc, and Owls, the Chicago-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has released an astonishing 43 albums since 1995.

The Avalanche, the most recent of those albums and released in June through Polyvinyl, falls under the Owen moniker, Kinsella’s acoustic rock solo project. Recorded in Wisconsin with producer Sean Carey of Bon Iver fame, it is Owen’s tenth studio album and the first since 2016’s The King of Whys.

Album opener A New Muse eases you into things with its intricate guitar work and soft vocals, before Dead For Days ramps up the introspective, and let’s face it, gloomy lyrics for which Kinsella is so well known. With lines like: “I'm riding a fine line / An accidental overdose or suicide / Tell my mom she was right all along / Tell my kids this is where my head hit” this isn’t music that’s going to raise a smile.

There are some uptempo moments musically though. On With The Show is positively jaunty musically, evoking feelings of The Smiths, before The Contours (“Lies and vanity / My worst got the best of me / It appears that I’ve lost everything”) and the doleful, tender I Should’ve Known plunge us back firmly into Owen’s usual territory.

Mom and Dead, complete with additional vocals from Now Now’s Cacie Dalager, is a dreamlike number while Headphoned is a fingerpicked and sparse affair. Wanting and Willing and I Go, Ego close out the album in similar style.

Carey’s production is excellent throughout and gets the best out of Kinsella’s considerable talents. The Avalanche doesn’t tread new ground for Owen, but is rather a deeply immersive record from an artist doing what he does best.

The Avalanche tracklist:

1. A New Muse

2. Dead For Days

3. On With The Show

4. The Contours

5. I Should’ve Known

6. Mom And Dead

7. Headphoned

8. Wanting And Willing

9. I Go, Ego

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Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.