Todd Umhoefer is back with a brand new release under his Old Earth moniker. All Kill comprises of a single thirteen minute track, encapsulating everything we’ve come to love about Umhoefer’s unique brand of experimental folk rock. The song is split into four acts or chapters (which are detailed on the cover art above). This subdivision prevents the lengthy run time from becoming a drag, and in fact, it could be viewed as an extremely cohesive four-song EP.
The atmosphere is otherworldly and ever-so-slightly ominous, the vocals abrupt, lyrics opaque and indistinct. Last summer, Umhoefer was kind enough to do an interview with us and here’s what he had to say about his lyrics, “They’re intentionally vague, contradictory, and sometimes irrational. I like homonyms and multiple interpretations- sometimes the lines are a conversation, sometimes narration, and sometimes simply a human voice needed to be present and it felt good to sing there.“ This instinctive attitude to songwriting is evident on All Kill, and the results make me very excited indeed to see which direction Old Earth decides to take things next (we wont have too long a wait to find out as there is an LP due later this year).
You can get All Kill right now as a digital download courtesy of mini50 Records.
P.S. If you missed Umhoefer’s excellent session with Song, By Toad, I’d highly suggest you check it out.