Patrick Dethlefs

On his latest release, Patrick Dethlefs seems to strip back the songwriting a bit from what we heard on 2012's accomplished Fall & Rise. From the beginning, one of the virtues of Dethlefs's songwriting has been a tastefully spare use of elements, and this remains at the core of the...

By Tom Murphy

September 19, 2013

Audio By Carbonatix

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On his latest release, Patrick Dethlefs seems to strip back the songwriting a bit from what we heard on 2012's accomplished Fall & Rise. From the beginning, one of the virtues of Dethlefs's songwriting has been a tastefully spare use of elements, and this remains at the core of the three tracks that make up While You're Carrying the Weight (two appear on the seven-inch, and one is a bonus). "Help Me See" is a delicately evocative exploration that attempts to understand the roots of dissolution in a failed relationship, and with cello swells accenting the edges of vocal phrases, the title track is imbued with a spirit of nostalgia and hope for the immediate future. "Blue Eyes," meanwhile, is more upbeat, but it, too, contains themes of reflection and pondering what could be.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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Twitter: @simianthinker