Barefoot is an excellent, triumphant, and profound representation of Christopher Owens as a guitar player, singer, songwriter, performer, and individual. With his first new solo album in nearly a decade, Owens has returned in the best way he possibly can.
Christopher Owens is best known as one half of the duo Girls, where the two made indie pop that had surf rock, garage, lo-fi, pop all wrapped in a packaging that evokes the early pop era from the 50's and 60's. They made some of the best within the indie blog era from the late 2000's / early 2010's, and blew up thanks to those said internet blogs. Their songs still hold up strong and on their debut simply titled Album, including singles like "Lust for Life" and "Hellhole Ratrace" are among the all-time greats for me. Despite the peppy and sunny coating that can often be painted onto their songs, there is such a heavy weight that adds much emotional impact and that comes down to Owens' vocals and songwriting. His vocals add a vulnerability that is unlike many of his contemporaries during the band's heyday and his lyrics of genuine sadness, longing, and isolation really made them even more compelling. There was supposed to be more Girls records but after Father, Son, Holy Ghost in 2011, they called it quits. Owens moved on with his solo career but his music didn't have that same impact that Girls had on me or many other fans.
Which brings us to his new solo album. Ridiculously titled I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair (it's even more so as I am writing it on text), it's Owens' first new album in nearly a decade since Chrissybaby Forever in 2015. In between his last solo album and this new one, Owens has been through a lot and I'll get this right out of the way before I get into the album's actual musical content. He's suffered financial hardship, the inability to pick up a record contract, breakup with his fiancé, near death experience from a motorbike crash, homelessness. And that's on top of what he's already experience within his past, where he grew up in the Children of God cult with his family and fled them along with everything he previously had known in order to be free. Even Owens and Chet "JR" White, the other half of Girls, planned on reuniting and were actually working on new songs together until White tragically died.
Barefoot is the result of Owens' traumatic experiences in recent years, with many songs that were meant to be included in the Girls reunion album. These ten songs mark Owens' best work since Girls and many of these songs are among his best. It's a heavy, pained record full of hardship, but Owens remains having a hopeful and positive outlook on things, resulting in a very captivating listen. Not only is the album's songwriting strong which includes many lines that pack a punch, but the songs' instrumentals and performances are beautiful, uplifting, and truly profound. "No Good" brings the pure bliss of his guitar playing from his Girls highlights and features the best guitar performances on the record hands down. His lyrics are simple and has Owens desperately weak with failure, "leave me alone / I'm dying" but the instrumental lifts it up into the heavens. And speaking of heaven, "I Think About Heaven" is another marvelous highlight that features his excitement and longing to revisit those he's lost in a gorgeously uplifting presentation, similar to that of songs from The Cure's latest album. When you hear the aching in his voice, you can hear it as an ode to the many friends he's lost over the years or even himself for that matter. The acoustic guitar, bass, bongos, harmonies, and shredding guitar solo make this a triumphant listen. "This Is My Guitar" has lush, incredibly acoustic guitar playing full of personality and its production solely focusing on Owens' vocals and his guitar makes this such an successfully executed song.
Aside from the more immediate singles provided on this record, there are many slow burners that turn into gorgeous, fantastic moments of emotional impact. In fact, I would boldly say Barefoot is more so a record of full of gorgeous slow burners that require the patience and time spent listening with headphones. "Beautiful Horses" is indeed beautiful and has this moving, dreamy instrumentation that just rises higher and higher towards its impeccable climax. It reminds me of some of the most beautiful, emotionally impacting indie rock records in recent memory like Angel Olson's My Woman, Spiritualized's Everything Was Beautiful or The War On Drugs' A Deeper Understanding. The guitar work on "White Flag" is hypnotic and its slow paced grooves are delightfully charming and Owen's lo-fi vocals only add to the song's already great quality. "I Know" is incredible with its pretty acoustic adult contemporary pop instrumental and its harmonica is pure icing on the cake. It reminds me of a classic song from some of his contemporary acts like Real Estate. "So" is a pretty lullaby which features a softly sung, lo-fi Owens in the style of a Wayne Coyne. "Distant Drummer" has an awesome, looping guitar lick that's timeless and immediate on the ears, making me want to hear it repeat until the end of time. "Two Words" features noisy guitars that are graciously welcomed over its twinkly pianos and yearning vocals. "Do You Need a Friend" closes the album in epic fashion with its seven minutes of increasing buildup, resulting in noisy guitars breakdowns, fiery percussion, an emotionally compelling performance from Owens, and choir vocals. It's a dramatic, triumphant way to close the album.
Barefoot is an excellent representation of Christopher Owens as a guitar player, singer, songwriter, performer, and individual. With nearly the decade of music silence (if you exclude his band Curls in 2017), it's been unsure if Owens would return to the spotlight and record something under his own name again. After listening to Barefoot, I'm thankful to write that Owens has returned in the best way he possibly can. These songs are fantastic through and through and although I haven't listened to this album a whole lot since its release, due to its emotional weight, dramatics, and impact, it's easily one of the year's best albums. Owens has had a difficult time over the years making music since the days of Girls. He's even questioned whether anyone would want to hear anything from him ever again, or even see him perform live for that matter. Barefoot is a timeless, captivating listen full of personality and indeed answers the question that yes, we in fact do want to listen to Owens' music again and again and again.
My Rating: 9 / 10
Favorite Songs: "I Think About Heaven," "No Good," "This Is My Guitar," "I Know," "Beautiful Horses," "Do I Need a Friend," "Distant Drummer"
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