Adyn Townes continues to tease listeners in intervals leading up to his next full album release (late summer 2021) with In Frames 2B, a four-song EP that finds the talented NB songwriter observing the relationships of others and crafting portraits of meaningful moments and memories.
Townes’ vision for this set was glimpses of relationships we may only get as passers-by. He delves in though deeper than the superficial and into the mindset of the person. Each song portrays a different situation or state of mind. Much like real life though, 3/4 of these situations do not seem to be going too well.
The anomaly in this set is “Cannonball,” the latest single. A song that shows Townes clearly smitten with a special someone, for reasons they struggle to state. The “There’s just something about you” refrain will be joyously familiar to anyone either in the early stages of courtship or fortunate enough to still have those feelings of another person’s ability to effortlessly lift your mood well into the relationship. It’s a more upbeat and optimistic song amidst some more cautionary tales.
The remaining three songs are much more reflective, remorseful, and resigned. “Better,” for instance, expresses regret not necessarily for the loss/end of the relationship, but more for the state of things as they now are, “But whether or not it all would have turned out fine, I still wish that we were better.” The song acknowledges that the relationship likely wouldn’t last if they were to try again but that wouldn’t stop him from repeating it. It’s an odd ode to loss and regret for that reason, as most would not repeat what they felt were mistakes or poor choices. “Better” portrays a beautiful personal hell of not liking how things are but knowing you would do it all again.
The more traditional post-breakup mentality is found on the other two tracks, Subdued and contrite musing about what may have been (“That”) or contemplations of whether or not you still cross that lost loves mind (“Once in a While”). “The locks have changed and so have we, but I can’t move on,” just because it’s gone doesn’t mean they’ve let go.
In describing the album Townes’ muses that “from first loves to forever loves, our stories are more similar than they different” and few could argue. We have all felt these pangs and pains as well as the excitement and intrigue of that grand task of seeking and securing someone. His skills as a songwriter and a storyteller regarding this most central aspect of the human condition continue to shine through and we look forward to our next tales.