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Apr 29, 2021 Web Exclusive By Hayden Godfrey

On Marine Life, Okkervil River’s Will Graefe pours his heart out in a way familiar to anyone who has ever suffered a distressing breakup. Emotionally prompted by his partner’s pandemic-era exodus, Graefe wallows in relatable sorrow, pumping out 10 lush songs that carry palpable emotional weight.

Sometimes intimately folky (“Run Away,” “Honey Boy”) and sometimes instrumentally ambient (“Bathing Griever,” “Neowise Griever”), Graefe layers arrangements effortlessly. Using his vast musical network as support—Wilder Maker’s Katie Von Schleicher and Okkervil bandmate Benjamin Lazar Davis both make appearances—Graefe frames his narrative voice with surety and confidence. Especially pertinent are “Coral Court Motel,” which evocatively swirls in mopey desolation, and “Run To You,” which showcases Graefe’s lush, Elliott Smith-like vocal timbre alongside choral phrases.

On its own, Marine Life might be dismissed as overly indulgent, but when considered as a heart-wrenching breakup record, it becomes much more profound, resulting in a sweet and simple anthology that’s tranquil and warm. Though it doesn’t move mountains, one can easily find shared experience in Graefe’s solace. (www.willgraefe.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7/10