Some seasonal warmth with Chris Robley; photographed by Lauren Breau.

Sounds from the anxious heart of the American experience shakes the core of the modern, rustbelt human condition with anecdotes and overtures of unrelenting realism. These arts exhibit and underscore the deceivingly menial yet tragically metaphoric observations of daily life that work to represent the complexities and conundrums that comprise existence in the fractured yet somehow united states. Chris Roley's new record A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next shines a light on stories ripped straight from the weary heartland with passages that push forward into the curiosities of the next chapter.

Chris rocks us gently into an album omnibus of short stories, assorted tales that are sung with a worldly, passionate presence. "American Dreams" delivers the audience into the strange of our North American nation's identity crisis, to the beacon of fist clenched hope on "There's a Bird", while "Lotus Eaters" takes the ultra charged modern rock opera aesthetic to the hilt of devastating beauty. Lamentations of injustice ring with heavy hearts on “Sandra” that memorializes the senseless death of Sandra Bland, exploding the hysteria of all-American paranoia on the moving closing hymns of "Love in a Time of Sharp Decline" and the powerful testament of new hopes on "Filament". Robley confronts the contradictions, conflicts and quagmires of modern day division with a reminder that a greater inclusive and proactive love can lift us upward toward higher grounds of a sincere earthly co-existence along with meaningful shared expressions.

The song "Love is a Four-Letter Word" ponders the complexities in our connections to one another. Presenting the debut of the home made visual, we see our humble troubadour Chris in a rabbit suit strolling about the neighborhood and hopping about at home with the family. Replete with Don't Look Back era Dylan-esque lyrical cue cards, Robley muses about the double-edged sword of the blessings and curses that are inherent truths pertaining to the act of opening one's heart toward another. From warm yard games of ball, dog walking, plant watering, joyful trampoline jumping and other wholesome hearted activities; Chris Robley illustrates the numerous challenges and discoveries that are made within our most vulnerable and candid relationships that ultimately make our lives worthwhile. There is no sugar coating or rose-tinted lens applied to the subject of our most privy and sensitive bonds but rather a rejoicing that we can even be a part of one of the most rewarding attachments in this universe (and no doubt in the realms outside of the confines of material and mortal knowledge). Robley delivers a modern message and heartland gospel that states that love is not, nor is supposed to be, perfect but is the most rewarding thing we can share with another heart. More than even just another titular four-letter world, love is our hope for tomorrow. Love is our hope for today. Love is our chance for healing, a chance for limitless growth and opens the doors to dimensions of enlightenment like we have never experienced before.

In the autumnal splendor of vision and heartland hope with Chris Robley; photographed by Lauren Breau.

Chris Robley shared some reflections on the song and visual for “Love is a Four-Letter Word”

I didn’t know until after I’d written “Love is a Four-Letter Word,” that Bob Dylan had written a song called “Love is Just a Four-Letter Word.”
I was announcing my new song from stage and a guy in the audience yelled “I LOVE Dylan!”
I thought, oh shit. Did I steal this from Dylan? I was really embarrassed because… well, accidentally stealing a song isn’t cool, but also, I’m a fairly big Dylan fan and I didn’t know about this song. Shame on me!

Robley and a trusty, scruffy buddy; photographed by Lauren Breau.

Turns out though, he never released it himself. (Joan Baez recorded it). And also, our songs have almost nothing else in common. We just arrived at the same-ish title. Me, about 50 years too late.
Thankfully you can’t copyright song titles. So I’m safe to proceed.

Modern meditations with Chris Robley; photographed by Lauren Breau.

As for the video, I wish I could say the rabbit costume is some kind of deep allegory. But really, it was just a silly pandemic adventure on an afternoon my family had free.
I wanted to give a little nod to Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with the words written on white paper, but beyond that…we simply looked around the house for props; we had an Easter costume, a superhero outfit, a dog, an iPhone, and a couple hours. Let’s go walk around the neighborhood like a bunch of weirdos!
The song is the least narrative and least literal on the album, so an absurd video seemed forgivable for this tune. Which is about the double-edged sword of anything you hold as truly meaningful. As a word, love could be used to describe the thing that brings out our best selves, but also makes us lash out like wounded animals. I’d be lying if I said the former president Goldemort wasn’t heavy on my mind while writing this song about weakness and walls and separateness.

Chris Robley’s album A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next is available now via Cutthroat Pop Records.

PREMIERE | Chris Robley, "Love is a Four-Letter World"