Cape Francis and the sweeping folk indie dance of "Comatose"

 

"breathing so loud that I can't hear you scream"

The tender sleepy 'Comatose' by Cape Francis, the solo musical project of guitarist vocalist Kevin Olken Henthorn, with it's beginning, and only momentary, 'No Surprises' lapse sweeps you up in a dance of sorts. The track that is embedded deeply in Cape Francis' third full length, “Plateaus”, out on Sleep Well Records, an album that largely explores themes of neurosis, anxiety "and the erosion of mental health that plagued him throughout his twenties", feels like an emotional journey. Henthorn builds on tactile guitar lullabies and sadcore melodies that even have hints of kind of folk grunge tons that eventually grow to stirring fields of chamber pop.

The shape shifting with nuanced harmonies and horns wrapping up untied melodies feels like a giant group hug between people who have been through a unified hard struggle but come out alright through the other side. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

Cape Francis · Comatose

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

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Cape Francis is a solo project started by guitarist and vocalist Kevin Olken Henthorn. After the break up of a former band that worked heavily in traditional pop structures and production, Henthorn started the new project as a way to break form and reconnect to a natural flow of instrumentation and storytelling.

Henthorn started playing guitar when he was 9 years old. He studied music with teachers ranging from classical to blues to metal, but by the time he was 15 he decided to commit solely to writing his own material. For Henthorn, writing was a way to practice and push his fundamentals, and discovery became intrinsic to each new piece he wrote.

Cape Francis was meant as a way to return to that mentality, to re-approach a relationship with an instrument after years of feeling stuck. The outcome is a new sound for Henthorn and is always evolving. It is centered around finger picked electric guitar, and surrounded by simple arrangements of percussion and synthesizers. Cape Francis pulls from folk and modern influences alike to bring the listener to an inviting atmosphere where familiarity and discovery are both at the forefront. In his third LP “Plateaus”, due out on Sleep Well Records, he examines the themes of neurosis, anxiety, and the erosion of mental health that played throughout his 20’s. The album serves as an effort to recognize the inevitable hurdles ahead and strives to visualize the path forward.