Duncan Barlow came to prominence in the mid-90s Midwestern punk scene as the guitarist of Louisville hardcore pioneers Endpoint, as well as the Victory Records-signed Guilt and By the Grace of God. Recently, Barlow released Colony Collapse, the first album under his own name, which features contributions from bassist Jason Loewenstein (Sebadoh) and drummer Joe Plummer (The Shins, Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse).
Colony Collapse was self-produced at Barlow’s home studio and finds him turning the emotional intensity that characterized his earlier work inward, exploring depression, and the absurd comedy of heartbreak through shimmering, psychedelic guitar-pop.
Barlow crafted much of Colony Collapse alone, in the thick of a South Dakota winter, resulting in an emotionally bare, incredibly moving collection of songs. His newest single “She Came To Leave” is led by sparse acoustic guitar and Barlow’s reverb-washed vocals, reflecting the isolation in which it was recorded. Watch the accompanying video, the Super 8 is great and gives it a quirky timeless and melancholic feel. The brief smiles of Barlow in the film stand in stark contrast to the image above of Barlow looking downwards, lost in thought, which was taken by Alisa Kuzmina.
Colony Collapse is out now via Eastwood Records.
http://www.eastwoodrecords.com
Photo Credit: Alisa Kuzmina